


Dangan Ronpa 44th

by Shinitaichan



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: 44th season of Danganronpa, Basically Danganronpa with other characters, Gen, Lots of Angst, Pre-Canon, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-12 06:39:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 49
Words: 70,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13541838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinitaichan/pseuds/Shinitaichan
Summary: Sixteen Ultimates trapped in some kind of school.Mechanic bear telling them to kill each other.The 44th season of Dangan Ronpa begins!(Basically Dangan Ronpa v3 but with other characters)(Update every third day)(Probably)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh gosh...  
> English isn't my native language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes I've made writing this.  
> Also, this is my first fanfiction ever, so please go easy on me!

She woke up in nothingness. Well, it couldn’t be nothingness, as she felt something solid under her feet and behind her back. This, however, didn’t stop the wave of panic she felt.

 

Was she… in a _coffin?_

 

In a blink of an eye, she pushed herself at the wall. And moments later, she found herself lying on a floor. Looking around, she noticed she was in a classroom and instead of a coffin, behind her was a locker. Two lockers, to be precise.

 

She stood up, trying to remember how she got here.

 

Her name was Karasu Yuki. She was the Ultimate Gambler. The last thing she remembered was... going down the street? Or was it playing russian roulette in a casino?

 

She couldn’t tell. Her memory was hazy and unstable.

 

She heard a strange sound. After looking around, she decided it was coming from the locker next to the one she woke up in. A few moments later, the door cracked open, and someone fell to the floor.

 

“Are you alright?” she asked the person, who turned out to be a small girl with a short greenish hair. The girl quickly looked up.

 

“Ah… I-I guess…” Yuki offered a hand, which a girl gladly took.

 

“What’s your name?” She asked when a girl stood up.

 

“Ah. I’m Hanatsuki Anko… I’m the Ultimate Botanist… Um… Nice to meet you…?”

 

“Huh? You’re the Ultimate? What does that mean?” Anko seemed confused by Yuki’s words. “Ah, I didn’t introduce myself, right? My name’s Karasu Yuki and I’m the Ultimate Gambler”

 

“Ah… I-I didn’t expect… I’m sorry… I… I’ve never met an… Ultimate… before and….”

 

“Yeah. Me too. That’s why I thought it was strange.” Anko nodded slowly, sinking in new information. “Anyway, I’m gonna investigate this place for a bit. Feel free to join me.” 

 

Upon exiting a classroom, the two encountered four people standing in a corridor.

 

“How much do you guys think are there?” dark-haired boy with a far too big shirt on him asked.

 

“We’ll see, right? Anyway, seems like you two woke up here not remembering how you got here, too.” red-haired boy with grey pullover on him said.

 

“Ding ding ding~” Yuki sang “You got that right~ I’m Karasu Yuki, the Ultimate Gambler and this girl is Hanatsuki Anko, the Ultimate Botanist. You are Ultimates too, right?”

  

“Yeah. I’m Tamari Otome, the Ultimate Photographer” red-haired boy said.

 

“Kagakure Hoshii, the Ultimate IT Specialist” dark haired boy added

 

“Fukura Oshi, the Ultimate Sewer” girl with a long brown hair and glasses introduced herself. The fourth person, a girl with a long black hair and a lab coat remained silent while watching her shoes.

 

“She didn’t say a word since we woke up” Oshi explained, “Seems like she’s really shy.”

 

“How about we play a game, my mute friend?” Yuki asked, coming closer to her. The girl looked Karasu in the eyes. “If I win, you tell me your name and talent. And if you lose, you can remain silent. What do you think?”

 

“You’re the Ultimate Gambler, right? There’s no way she’d agree to that.” Otome exclaimed.

 

“So, are you the Ultimate Doc?” she asked instead.

 

“Vet.” said the girl while glaring at Yuki

 

“And your name?”

 

“Konan.”

 

“Is this your first or last name?”

 

“...”

 

“I see, I drained your MP~. Welp, nothing to do about it. I’m gonna check if there’s anybody else in here.” Karasu exclaimed before she went down the stairs.

 

“Should we go with her?” Hoshii asked, his eyes darting between Oshi, Anko and Otome.

 

“We should probably let her be. She doesn’t seem like a threat to me.” Otome judged before pointing to a fourth classroom door on the floor. “What’s bugging me more is this classroom. Nobody went out of it, right? And since we all woke up in pairs it’s fair to assume there are two more people in there. Should we check it out?”

 

The rest eyed door with suspicious before Oshi said hesitantly “This might be a good idea. Someone could pass out from a panic attack upon waking up in a locker, couldn’t they?”

 

The four of them made their way to the classroom, Konan following Yuki down the stairs. Otome was the one who opened the door and entered the room first. It looked exactly like the classroom he woke up in, and by others’ reaction, he assumed the classrooms they woke up in too. There were sixteen desks for four in a row, with two lockers in a back of the classroom. The lockers were opened.

 

“I guess there _were_ two more people,” stated Hoshii.

 

“They must have woken up at least half an hour ago, since me and Kagakure were standing in the corridor since about twenty-five minutes ago.” calculated Otome

 

“Um… Why didn’t you go investigating…?” asked Anko, confused. She’d obviously go check the place she was kidnapped to. That’s the only logical step, right?

 

“We heard… Konan, was it? stumble out of a locker and we kinda freaked out. And when she exited the classroom and tried to go off, we stopped her so she wouldn’t do anything suspicious. Or dangerous.” Hoshii explained.

 

“Speaking of which…” started Fukura “Where is she?”

 

They all looked around, but it seemed like the Ultimate Vet took advantage of their confusion to escape.

 

“She… won’t do anything bad, right? I mean… She’s a vet, so….” Anko trailed off under hard gazes she received.

 

“Anyway, Konan and Karasu aside, there’s a window in here. I mean, it’s obvious, right? We’re in some kind of school. But.. have anyone tried looking outside?” Otome noted.

 

They all looked at each other in realization. None of them checked the windows - they all didn’t even notice that was strange that there were windows at all. With Otome leading the way, the four of them headed to the windows. They were quite big - all three of them took almost whole wall. And what was waiting outside was surprising at least.

 

“Huh? Is this… some kind of campus?” Hoshii wondered. Surely, what they saw outside could be described as one. There were three buildings (including the one they were in), one of them had a word ‘dorm’ written on it and the other one was some kind of chapel. There was also construction with ‘do not cross’ tape around it. Two giant robots were standing next to it. Aside from that, the was racecourse and a small forest. Almost seemed like a normal school. Almost, because the whole area was fenced with giant metal pipes.

 

“Campus? More like a prison. I mean… look at this fence! It’s almost like we’re in a cage!” Otome’s voice was betraying his shaken state.

 

“What kind of place is this anyway?” Oshi interjected “There’s at least eight Ultimates trapped in here, right? Who is capable of that? And on top of that - this ‘school’. It’s huge. Who would be capable of building such a thing without the information about it slipping to the Internet?”

 

“Could it be… _that organization_?” they all looked at Anko in surprise.

 

“What do you mean? Do you have any idea?” Otome was the first to break the silence.

 

“N-no… I um… I-I just thought that… if someone were capable of that… it would be some big organization… and I-I thought… that maybe someone might know something… b-but it seems I was wrong… I’m sorry… f-for confusing you… and d-doubting you…. We’re all in the same situation, aren’t we? We… shouldn’t d-doubt each other… I’m sorry…”   

 

“No, it’s alright” Fukura smiled warmly “You just want to find the truth. We all do. So,” she patted Anko’s shoulder “don’t worry. We’ve got your back.” Anko felt a blush creeping on her face and quickly turned away.

 

“Anyway,” Otome interjected “we’ve got a lot investigating to do. And we don’t know how much time we have. I mean, someone trapped us here for a reason, right? They will surely show up, right?”

 

“You do have a point, Tamari.” said Hoshii “We should hurry up before it’s too late.”

 

But before they could exit the classroom, they heard shouting coming from the corridor “Heeeeeeey! Is anyone here!?” They hurried to the door.

 

“Yeah! What’s up?” Otome asked the girl with twin tails and glasses

 

“‘What’s up?’ you say!? Tch, that stupid bitch made me go search for you losers.” she answered, her voice dripping with anger.

 

“‘Stupid bitch’?” Oshi asked.

 

“Yeah, that bitch of a gambler. Said I should get you to the dining hall. So hurry up before I leave you to rot.” the girl said before going down the stairs. The four followed.   

 

“Hey, what’s your name?” asked Otome trying to catch up with the girl

 

“Hanashisuma Rika. I’m the Ultimate Linguist, so I can argue with you peasants in a language you never even heard of!”

 

“Sounds deadly.” he laughed “Anyway, I’m-”

 

“Don’t care, you stupid brat!” Rika cut him as they walked to the big twin door. “We’re here. Better bow down and lick my shoes for this one,” she said opening the door to reveal eleven people standing there. Seemed like no one dared to sit down at a table.

 

All conversation died down at their arrival. And moments later, the white and black bear popped out of nowhere.

 

“Upupu! Seems like you’re all here! So, time to start inauguration!” it said

 

“Inauguration? Where are we anyway?” a girl with short hair and sports clothes asked.

 

“Y’all are in the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, and I’m the headmaster. You’re here to polish your talents and study hard! But most importantly,” it smiled wickedly despite being a teddy bear. “You’re here to participate in the Killing Game.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically an introduction of characters Q.Q
> 
> So, I'm working on drawings with all the characters, but I'm not quite finished, so I guess I'll upload them some other day.
> 
> Meanwhile, hope you enjoy this chapter~!

“K-killing game!?” Oshi squeaked. The sounds of disbelieving echoed throughout the room.

 

“You wanna go out, right? You wanna go back to your families and loved ones, right? You’d do anything to escape, right? So! The rules are simple! When someone dies and three or more people witness a body, the body discovery announcement will go off and after a certain amount of time, which you can spend investigating, the Class Trial will begin.

During the Class Trial, you will talk about the case and then vote for the blackened - in other words, you need to find the culprit. If you vote correctly, only blackened will receive punishment. And if you choose the wroooong one everyone _besides_ the blackened will be punished.

If you manage to get away with murder, you get to graduate this Academy!

Simple, isn’t it?”

 

“There’s no way we’re gonna do it! Even if we want to get out, we’d never _kill_ anyone!” a boy with dark-green hair shouted. The bear titled its head.

 

“You can’t be sure, right? There’s no guarantee that the rest thinks that way, y’know?”

 

“What can you know about us!? There’s no way we’d lose against some stuffed bear!” the sports girl joined, the rest of students slowly unfreezing from surprise.  

 

“Hey! Watch what you’re saying! I’m not ‘some stuffed bear’! I’m Monokuma - the Headmaster of the Ultimate Academy!”

 

“As we’d acknowledge such junk as the headmaster!” Rika shouted

 

“Kids these days…” Monokuma seemed really sad now “Absolutely no respect to authorities… I’m really hurt now, y’know! And here I was about to give you a little gift…”

 

“A gift?” the sports girl asked loudly but softly.

 

“Yep! The Monopods! I kinda already gave them to ya! They’re waiting for you in your dorm rooms! They will keep track of time and information on all of you. Remembering stuff about so many people is tiresome, right? Also, the Monopods will update a map of the school as you investigate! Isn’t it cool?”

 

Hesitant murmurs echoed throughout the room, as the students started discussing what they’d just heard.

 

“Well then, happy killing, everyone!” Monokuma sang before disappearing.

 

“What should we do now?” asked Hoshii, visibly lost. The room fell silent at the question. Nobody knew what to do. Everybody was scared and confused. Everybody needed guidance. Everybody needed a leader.

 

“There’s no way we’re gonna play this Killing Game! If we just work together we will escape this situation without any sacrifices! As for your question… I think introducing ourselves seems like a good start, doesn’t it?” the dark-green haired boy spoke up. Everyone nodded relieved that someone decided to take the lead. “I’ll start! I’m Ridaku Karisuma, the Ultimate Student Council President. I consider everyone here my classmate and I’ll do anything in my power to help Y'all! So you can trust me with everything!”

 

After that, the sports girl spoke up. “And I’m Kosuri Tobiko, the Ultimate Athlete, and I sure as hell agree with Ridaku! We’ll get out of here _alive_!”

 

Next one was Rika “My name’s Hanashisuma Rika, the Ultimate Linguist, and just so you pieces of shit know, if any of you tries to kill me, I’m gonna stop being so nice!”

 

“You’re talking as if you were nice to begin with, Rika-chan~!” Karasu chirped in.

 

“Huh!? Wanna have your skull smashed, stupid cunt!?”

 

“Ah~! There’s no need for such mean words, is there? We’re all _friends,_ after all, right?”

 

“Friends my ass! If ya say one more word, you’re gonna regret it!”

 

“Whatever, I got bored anyway. Everyone! I’m Karasu Yuki, the Ultimate Gambler. So, see you guys later~!” she sang before running out of the room.

 

“She certainly likes running away in the middle of a conversation, huh?” said Oshi looking at Otome, then turned to everyone else “Anyway, let’s get back to the point. I’m Fukura Oshi, the Ultimate Sewer. Despite the circumstances, I’m really glad to meet you all.” she then looked at Konan “You didn’t properly introduce yourself back in the classroom, so…“ she trailed off.

 

“Hataka Konan, the Ultimate Vet.” was the most proper reply she could receive.

 

“Thank you.” she smiled warmly at the vet.

 

“If you don’t mind, I’m gonna go next. I’m Otori Misaki, the Ultimate Cellist. I hope to be useful to all of you, so don’t hesitate to ask me any favour. It’s just like Ridaku-san said - we need to work together to escape.” these words were said by a girl with shoulder-length reddish hair.

 

“With Y'all so nice and stuff, I think we’ll never escape, actually. At least not without any sacrifices.” hopes that Ridaku planted in everyone’s hearts were shattered with these sentences. Silver-haired boy didn’t seem to care, though

 

“How can you say something like this? Nobody’s gonna die!” Tobiko exclaimed

 

“Say whatever you want. In a few days someone’s gonna be dead. And these ones of you who’re all buddy-buddy and stuff are gonna be at fault.” he answered calmly.

 

“You’ll take those words back when we’ll be safe and free and _alive_.”

 

“It’s not like I don’t want that to happen, y’know. It’s just not possible.”

 

“What can you know about it!? Who are you anyway!?”

 

“Name’s Nazomu Hanzo. The Ultimate Talent’s unknown.”  

 

“What do you mean ‘unknown’?”

 

“Exactly what I told you guys. Just hurry up with this introduction thing, I’ve got a lot investigating to do.”

 

The room filled with awkwardness. It was broken by a small boy with blue-ish hair. “So maybe I’ll go now. My name’s Satoshi Kijime and I’m the Ultimate Confectioner. I love everything that’s sweet and cute and I’m looking forward to baking something for you guys!” he smiled sweetly.

 

“That is indeed very tempting offer, Satoshi-kun, however I do not think everyone here is fond of sweets. Am I not right, Utsuri-kun?” asked very tall, dark-haired girl dressed in black, looking at a boy with black hair that somehow looked purple-ish at ends.

 

The boy seemed startled for a second, before answering “Ah, right. I don’t really like sweets, but that’s not a problem at all! I-I can make stuff for myself…” he looked very anxious saying that.  

 

“That’s not good!” Shouted Satoshi “I wanna bake for everyone! But don’t worry, I can make bitter stuff too! I’m the Ultimate Confectioner, after all!”

 

“But… doesn’t the title imply you working with sweets?” a gothic looking girl asked

 

“Heehee~ It does! I just don’t want to be useless! But that’s not important right now! A lot of you didn’t introduce yet! Bitter guy! Say your name!” Satoshi cheerfully exclaimed.

 

The boy in question seemed really uncomfortable, but answer nonetheless “I’m Utsuri Kushisa, the Ultimate Graphic Designer, but… I don’t really design anything…” he said the last part so low that nobody heard it.

 

“I do believe it is now my turn. My name is Keshousun Shiki and I carry the title of the Ultimate Tanato Cosmetologist. I see the irony of me being in the Killing Game, although I do assure you all that I have absolutely no intention of harming any of you.” the tall girl said

 

“Um… Sorry, but… what exactly is this tanato thing?” Satoshi asked

 

“Tanato cosmetology, the thing that is my prophecy, happens to be an art of suppressing the flow of time. In practice, it is what you would call posthumous makeup. My job is to make dead look like alive.” she explained.

 

“You dumbass didn’t even explain the genesis of the name! And it’s the most beautiful thing about it!” Rika interjected “Term ‘tanato cosmetology’ comes from the Greek word ‘thanatos’ which means ‘death’. Bet you pieces of shit didn’t know that! Good thing someone smart is here with ya, losers!”

 

“Impressive, Hanashisuma-san. I guess you really are the Ultimate Linguist.” Shiki complimented her to everyone’s surprise.

 

“‘f course I am.” she pouted.

 

“Then, do you mind if I introduce myself now?” the gothic girl spoke “The talk about that cosmetology thing is over, right? Keshousun-chan explained everything so it’s ok, right?” when no one interjected, the girl proceeded “I am Akurami Rikomu, the Ultimate Occultist. If you ever need to take off the curse from anything or something like that - come to me! I’ll gladly do so! In exchange for blood, of course~!”

 

“Akurami-san!” Karisuma shouted

 

“Geez, I was just kidding~ No blood, no blood!” she giggled.

 

“So, four more people to go!” Tobiko exclaimed “You guys! Go ahead!” she pointed at remaining people.

 

“I’m Kagakure Hoshii, the Ultimate IT Specialist. I’m not sure how I can be of use here, but I’ll do my best.”

 

“And I’m Tamari Otome, the Ultimate Photographer. Same as Kagakure, I’ll do my best to be useful.” he then looked at Anko who seemed too shy to speak up. “Hanatsuki, go ahead. It’s alright,” he said. Anko looked at him with wide eyes before smiling softly.

 

“I-I’m Hanatsuki A-anko, the Ultimate Botanist… I-I… I can’t really do anything… besides researching plants and… I-I… I’ll do my best, too!” she shouted and then blushed trying to hide herself when she understood what she just said.

 

“Sure thing! We’re counting on you guys!” Tobiko patted Anko’s head smiling widely. She then turned to a blond boy standing in a corner with a scarf hiding his face. “Hey there! Now’s your turn, y’know!”

 

He then took off his scarf revealing a very famous face of the most popular guy on the Internet - Okami Hasuki.

 

“Hey there, everyone! Didn’t want to cause a scene, sorry ‘bout that. I think I don’t need to introduce myself, right?” he flashed a satisfied grin.

 

“No, Okami-kun. I think you should, even if everybody here knows your name. You see, we all did it and it just wouldn’t be fair now, would it?” Karisuma said calmly, with grace.

 

“Besides, I’ve no clue who you are, y’know,” Hanzo interjected.

 

“Oh?” Okami seemed disappointed. “Well then, I’m Okami Hasuki - the Ultimate Youtuber. I’m the first in every popularity rank and my fanbase is the biggest there is. Thought everyone knew a thing like that.”

 

“Seems like you were wrong, mate.” Hanzo sighed. “Anyway, now that we’re done with this introduction thing, I’m gonna go investigate. If we’re lucky, I’ll find a way out. And if my mood is good, I’ll even tell Y'all” he smiled cruelly and exited the room.

 

“He’s not very nice, but he has a point. We should split up and investigate this place some more.” Karisuma said. “Since two people have left, there is fourteen of us here now, so I’m gonna go ahead and split us into three groups: two groups of five people and one group of four.”

 

“I’m gonna go alone,” Konan said and before anyone could stop her, she exited the room.

 

“Then… two groups of four and one of five it is.” Karisuma said not losing confidence for a moment. “The first group will be: Kagakure-kun, Tamari-kun, Fukura-chan and Otori-chan. You will go investigate outside of the Academy. The second group will be: Okami-kun, Utsuri-kun, Keshousun-chan and Satoshi-kun. You will go investigate dorms and chapel. And the last group: Kosuri-chan, Hanashisuma-chan, Akurami-chan, Hanatsuki-chan and myself. We will investigate the school building.”

 

Nobody raised any objections. They obediently exited the room in groups made by Karisuma glad someone was there to lead them.


	3. Chapter 3

Kagakure, Tamari, Fukura and Otori were walking toward the exit. It’d be the first time they were outside since they woke up here.  
  
“Do you think we will find anything?” asked Hoshii as they reached the giant metal door.  
  
“I certainly hope so,” Otome answered stopping next to Hoshii.  
  
“Even if we don’t, we can’t give up! We will get out of here together, and Nazomu-san and Karasu-san will be with us too!” Oshi exclaimed, patting Hoshii’s back.  
  
“Yeah,” he said before he pushed the door open.  
  
They were met by surprisingly fresh air and if not for the metal pipes surrounding the area, it would give a sense of freedom. Nonetheless, it was enough to calm them down. For a moment.  
  
“Doesn’t the air seem… still? Like, too still?” Oshi noted.  
  
“Now that you mention it…” Otori agreed. “It doesn't exactly match the temperature, does it?”  
  
“Yeah, it’s too cold for air to be that way” Oshi nodded enthusiastically.  
  
“What season is it, by the way?” Otome interjected  
  
“Huh? Right, isn’t it supposed to be the fall?” Hoshii asked  
  
“Yeah, it was certainly the fall just before I woke up here.” Fukura agreed  
  
“Then why are the trees green?” Otome questioned, “And the air - it should be winding, right?”  
  
“Or raining,” Otori answered. “You’re right, it is weird. But even so, what does it tell us? That the plants are artificial?”  
  
“We could ask Hanatsuki, she should know whether they’re real or not. Then it will tell us something.” Hoshii said ending the conversation.  
  
The four of them continued walking around the area, examining everything they could. The grass, the benches, the metal pipes, the robots standing near the construction. But it didn’t provide any useful clues.  
  
Meanwhile, Okami, Utsuri, Keshousun and Satoshi entered the dormitory. It had two floors and it was basically just sixteen doors for eight on a floor. Seemed like everyone got a room for themselves.  
  
“Let’s check the rooms out before we go to the chapel, m’kay?” Satoshi asked with an excited gaze.  
  
“You are way too excited considering situation we happened to be in,” Shiki commented with a serious tone.  
  
“There’s no point in worrying, though! Noone’s gonna kill anyone, right? And we will get out of here together! So why don’t we enjoy this for now?”    
  
Others couldn’t help but smile. The Killing Game wouldn’t happen, right? It would be alright, right? It seemed that way, for now. They just needed to find the way out and then work together to escape. Even Karasu, Nazomu and Konan would cooperate if that’s the case.  
  
And if they couldn’t escape, then… why not live here for a while?  
  
It seemed like this Academy was prepared especially for them to live, so why not do just it?  
  
Yeah, it would be alright. They truly believed that.  
  
“Whoa~! It’s better than I expected!” Satoshi shouted upon opening his dorm room. It was indeed better than one might expect. It was spacious and had a bathroom on its own. The walls were grey with black and red accents, through ceiling trailed bright lamp. The floor was covered by black and red carpet. There was bed with black and red sheets, black desk with a red chair, red coffee table, red armchair and black closets taking the almost whole wall. Also, just under the ceiling, there was screen surrounded by speakers.  
  
Okami, who was standing just behind Satoshi, sighed dramatically. “I guess it’ll have to do…”  
  
“Don’t be such an ungrateful brat, Hasuki!” Satoshi said with a wide grin “It’s super cool! I might want to stay here forever if I get to sleep in there~!”  
  
“You have really low standards,” Hasuki responded uninterested.  
  
“Or you have really high.” Utsuri shrugged, suddenly appearing next to them “Anyway, it seems like all the rooms are the same.”  
  
“May I share with you certain clue I found?” Keshousun asked standing next to Utsuri  
  
“Sure, go ahead~!” Satoshi encouraged her  
  
“The closet in my room is filled with uniforms matching the one I am currently wearing.” she held her right hand with pointing finger up while saying it “I assume that all the others’ rooms’ closets are as well. It could be some kind of clue.”  
  
“Clue pointing towards what?” Okami asked clearly displeased “It doesn’t tell us anything, y’know! How are we supposed to escape if all we know is what is inside some closets!”  
  
“That’s not true…” Utsuri stated “It tells us that the rooms are made specifically for us and that this Academy is adjusted to us living here for a long time. It is a clue.” he smiled at Shiki.  
  
“Whatever. We’re done here, right? Let’s go to the chapel and get it over with.” Okami tasked and headed outside. The rest of them followed.  
  
The chapel was overgrown with grass. In the middle, there was a statue resembling Monokuma holding some kind of goblet. Behind the statue, there was a waterfall flowing from the ceiling.  
  
Next to the Monokuma Statue were standing Karasu and Nazomu with weird devices in hands.  
  
“Are those… the Monopods?” Satoshi asked.  
  
Yuki looked up with a grin “Nope.” she said, “They’re super duper prizes for the ones who get the riddle right.”  
  
“The riddle~? I’m great with those! Bring it on!” His face lit up with excitement  
  
“I lied, I lied~” she laughed “Don’t tell me guys you didn’t even check those out~”  
  
“It slipped out of our minds,” Shiki responded. “Did you, by any chance, find anything catching attention?”  
  
“Oh my, you can be quite bold, can’t you?” Yuki laughed some more “Those cute little Monopods here have a GPS function, you know.” she continued with a serious expression “Wanna know where we are?”  
  
“Karasu, can you just-” Hanzo tried to say something but Yuki cut him off  
  
“We’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!” she shouted  
  
“W-wha!? Seriously!?” Okami looked terrified. Others’ reactions were similar (except for Nazomu, who just sighed)  
  
Karasu looked at them earnestly before she started laughing maniacally. She laughed for a good minute before speaking up “Oh my god~! Of course not! I lied~! I *laugh* I can’t believe you actually fell for it!”  
  
“Hey! It’s not nice!” Satoshi exclaimed angrily.  
  
“Sorry, sorry.” she didn’t look at all apologetically “It’s just you guys are so naive I can’t help myself~”  
  
“Enough.” Nazomu grabbed Karasu’s wrist and began dragging her out of the chapel. “We’re done here.”  
  
When they exited the area, the four remaining students sighed relieved.  
  
“She’s quite the thing, isn’t she?” Utsuri said quietly  
  
“Indeed. I do hope it is nothing dangerous, though.” Shiki replied. “Anyway, let us proceed with the investigation”  
  
Meanwhile, Kosuri, Hanashisuma, Akurami, Hanatsuki and Karisuma split up to investigate the school building.  
  
Hanatsuki and Akurami were examining the first floor and Kosuri, Rika and Karisuma the second floor, since the stairs to the third floor were nowhere to be found.  
  
The school turned out to be really spacious and well equipped. On each floor, there were four classrooms and some kind of hall. Additionally, on the first floor, there was the dining hall with the door to the kitchen (which was full of all kinds of food) and the gym. On top of that, there were three doors that especially stood out. When Anko and Rikomu stopped to check one of them out, Monokuma appeared.  
  
“Upupu~! I bet you’re wondering what’s on the other side of the door, huh? Well, as the headmaster, my job is to look after my students! So, let me explain. Each of you has the Ultimate Talent that needs to be polished. And because of that, the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles presents the Ultimate Research Labs~! Since on this floor is already the dining hall and the gym, there's only three Ultimate Research Labs, but on the other floor, you will find more of them! It’s the place where you can reach depths of your talents and head toward shining future! Or something like that. Unfortunately, the Ultimate Academy isn’t quite finished yet, so there’s access to only three Ultimate Labs at the moment.”  
  
“Whose?” Akurami asked.  
  
“The Ultimate Athlete's, the Ultimate Sewer’s, and Karasu Yuki-chan’s!”  
  
“A-and this one… is…?” Anko questioned  
  
“You’ll have to find out yourself, I’ve got to talk to the rest of you~! Have fun, you two!” it exclaimed before disappearing.  
  
“We should check this out, right?” Rikomu hesitated with the handle in her palm.  
  
“I-I guess…” was all reassurance she needed.  
  
Upon entering the room it became obvious whose Ultimate Lab it was. The room was filled with mannequins, cloth, sewing machines and other stuff they didn’t recognise.  
  
“Whoa! It’s really well equipped!” Akurami stated  
  
“Y-yeah…”  
  
“If I were the Ultimate Sewer, I’d love this place! I’m so jealous~! I want my Ultimate Research Lab opened!”  
  
“Um… Y-yeah…”  
  
Neither of four Ultimate Research Labs located on the second floor was opened.  
  
“Well, that’s the shame. I wanted to check those out…” Tobiko said.  
  
“Nothing to worry about! Let’s go meet Hanatsuki-san and Akurami-san and head to the basement.” Karisuma ordered.  
  
“Tch. All this effort for nothing.” Rika murmured “If there are no clues in the basement, I’m gonna throw something out the window.”  
  
So they headed downstairs. In the basement was the library, the A/V room, the warehouse and five Ultimate Labs. One of them was opened.  
  
It was dark inside, even though corridors were well illuminated. The walls were covered by bookcases filled to the brim with books. In the middle of the room a table with a chess board on it and two armchairs on the opposite sides of it.  
  
“It’s… Karasu’s Research Lab, right?” Akurami asked, uncertain.  
  
“It seems so,” Ridaku said, hesitant himself.  
  
“That’s the Ultimate Gambler’s Ultimate Research Lab!? More like the Ultimate Nerd’s, or the Ultimate Loser’s!” Rika yelled  
  
“Shut up! Maybe… these books are related to gambling!?” Tobiko yelled back.  
  
“Isn’t gambling about playing games!? How are you supposed to gamble if you can’t play!? Think once in a while, musclehead!”  
  
“Maybe they’re books with rules of games!? And who do you call ‘musclehead’!?”  
  
“You, obviously! You’re-” Rika was cut off by Ridaku shouting  
  
“Enough! You two, stop it right now!” they obeyed “We’re not here to fight but to investigate! Though, I suppose there’s not much to investigate, huh?”  
  
“So what now?” Akurami asked, “Are we done here?”  
  
“Yeah, I guess so. Let’s meet up with everyone at the dining hall to talk about the investigation’s results.”  



	4. Chapter 4

Utsuri Kushisa was scared. Of course he was. He woke up _somewhere_ and was told to kill other people. On top of that, he was sure he was going to die first. If the killing happened, that is. Everyone seemed to believe that it wouldn’t, so maybe he should too, but… He couldn’t stop feeling the painful knot in his stomach.

 

He was _terrified_. He didn’t know what to do and he didn’t want to be left off, so he just trailed behind everyone. Especially Shiki. They woke up in the same classroom and were inseparable ever since. It was reassuring. It was good. Even though he knew her for only a few hours, he trusted her deeply.

 

They were on their way to the dining hall to talk with others about what they found. Though, his group wasn’t able to find anything major. He could only hope that others had better luck.

 

Satoshi was leading, Okami trailing just behind him. The two were arguing about something. He and Shiki walked at the end, arm in arm.

 

“What do you think will happen?” he asked quietly, so only Keshousun could hear him.

 

“I do believe you mean long-term plans, am I correct?” she made sure she understood him right.

 

“Yeah… It’s just… I don’t know what to think anymore…”

 

“Listen, Utsuri-kun, I cannot assure you that nothing bad will happen. But I can promise you I will do my best to prevent it.”

 

“S-Shiki... “ he whispered taken aback. He didn’t expect the girl to say something like that. She seemed rather timid and introverted, not to mention his socially awkward presence. It just was impossible in his eyes for someone to say something like that honestly. And yet again, he couldn’t help himself but believe in Shiki’s words.

 

Only when he looked at her and saw her eyes widened in surprise he noticed that he used her first name. “Oh! I-I’m sorry! I… I mean… Keshousun-san…” she smiled at him gently.

 

“It’s fine. I do not mind you calling me Shiki at all. Truth be told, I am not that fond of my last name either.”

 

“No! I didn’t mean it like that!” she then laughed and oh my god, he’d be damn if it wasn’t the prettiest laugh in the world.

 

“I know.”

  


* * *

 

  


_‘So’_ Ridaku thought as he watched the students enter the dining hall ‘ _What now?’_

 

It was obvious that they all looked up to him, as if he had answers to their questions. And it was fine. He wanted this. He knew it was gonna happen at the moment he decided to speak up after Monokuma explained the Killing Game rules. He has taken the lead and now he had to cope with it.

 

It was the best choice, right? He was the Ultimate Student Council President. If he couldn’t do that, then who could?

 

Even though he couldn’t show that, he was uncertain. It was obvious they needed to work together, unite, so the fact that Karasu-san, Nazomu-san and Konan-san broke out of the group didn’t help. He needed to talk to them later.

 

The three’s actions could cause the uncertainty to spread across the group. And he couldn't afford that. Because that could lead to the killing. The group had to think it’s safe here. The thought about escaping didn’t have right to even ghost in their minds. And he’d have to take care of that.

 

“Should we start?” asked him Tobiko quietly “Only Karasu and Nazomu aren’t here.”

 

“Huh? Konan came?” he blurted. Sure enough, there she was - sitting on the furthest chair, looking deep in thought. This time, everyone took a seat at the table. There were sixteen seats, and he couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of two empty chairs.

 

“Yeah, though she didn’t say a word.”

 

“It’s fine. Then...” he stood up “Everyone! Let’s begin, okay?” when everyone’s attention was on him, he sat down again “Fukura-san, Otori-san, Kagakure-san and Tamari-san - what did you find?”

 

“We noticed some kind of contradiction.” reported Kagakure “It’s the fall now, right?” everyone nodded hesitantly “But the trees here are green, and the air is way too still for it to be the fall.”

 

“That leaves us with two possibilities.” Otome continued Hoshii’s speech “Either the plants here are artificial, or it’s not the fall right now.”

 

“We thought maybe Hanatsuki could examine the trees and stuff, so we could narrow down the possibilities…” Kagakure asked

 

“Hanatsuki!” Tobiko exclaimed, “Think you can do that?”

 

Anko blushed, not really enjoying the attention she was given “I-I guess…” she murmured, abashed.

 

“Good,” Ridaku said. “Let’s proceed. Satoshi-san, Keshousun-san, Utsuri-san and Okami-san.” he looked at the group expectantly.

 

“Nothing useful,” Okami said and before anyone could do anything, the door had been opened filling the room with giggles.

 

Karasu was dragging visibly displeased Nazomu while laughing. “Sorry we’re late~!” she exclaimed “Hanzo reeeeeaaaally didn’t want to come!”

 

“I still don’t.” said boy hissed, making Yuki laugh harder.

 

“A~ny~way~! Don’t let us interrupt!” she sat at one of the remaining chairs, Nazomu taking the other seat. “Go on~ Go on~”

 

Shiki cleared her throat “I do not agree with Okami-san’s statement. We determined that all the dorm rooms are identical. Also, the closets present in those rooms are filled with uniforms matching the ones we are wearing. As for the chapel, aside for the Monokuma Statue, I believe the place holds no significant clues.”

 

“Very well, thank you, Keshousun-san.” Ridaku praised. “Hanatsuki-san, Akurami-san? How was the first floor?”

 

“Nothing major, I guess. There are four classrooms, the gym, the dining hall and three Ultimate Research Labs. Only one of them was open though.” Akurami said

 

“I-it was Fukura-san’s…” Anko added

 

“Very well. The second floor was similar to the first one. The only difference is that on the second floor are four Ultimate Research Labs. None of them opened.” Ridaku reported

 

“In the basement, though, Karasu-san’s Lab is available,” Otori added.

 

“When we’re at it! What’s the deal with your Lab, Bitch-asu!?” Rika shouted pointing her finger at Yuki, who just smiled innocently.

 

“How would I know? I didn’t design it.”

 

“It’s _your_ Lab, you stupid cunt! ‘m sure you know something!”

 

Yuki thought for a moment. “If you must know, I’ll tell you something about it.”

 

“Just in time, dumme Fotze!”

 

“It’s perfect,” Yuki said, smiling gently. “Exactly how I’d like it to be.”

 

“That didn’t tell us anything, though?” Tobiko seemed unsure. Yuki shrugged in response.

 

“I think…” the room fell unusually quiet at Konan’s voice. She narrowed her eyes at that and then cleared her throat “I think what she meant was that Monokuma knows a lot about us, since he designed her Lab just the way she’d want it.”

 

Karasu grinned widely “One smart person in the room! Not bad, Konan~!”

 

“You’re plain rude now,” Nazomu commented, a little annoyed.

 

“Huh?” Yuki turned to him with disbelieving “How could you say that? I complimented her!”

 

“While offending everyone besides her.” he poked her forehead saying that. She pouted and turned her back to him.

 

“Anyway, let’s get back to the point.” Karisuma ordered “Nazomu-san? Hataka-san? Karasu-san? Is there anything you’d like to share with us?”

 

“I just shared my likes with you and you ask for more!? Who’s the rude one now, Hanzo?” Karasu shouted overly dramatic, turning once again to Nazomu, who just smiled in response.

 

“I didn’t mean it like that, you know…” Ridaku muttered.

 

“Who cares? Let’s just move on!” Tobiko interjected.

 

“If that’s all, we can sum up all clues we have.” Karisuma proposed.

 

“Well, there’s that weather thing and trees Hanatsuki-chan will examine…” Akurami started “Then the fact that the rooms are designed for us to live in for a long time and Karasu-chan’s Lab design…”

 

“Can we draw any conclusions based on it?” Otome asked, thoughtful.

 

“It’s quite farfetched…” Utsuri said shyly “But if the plants were real, could it point to the fact that our memories were messed with?”

 

“How in the hell did you link those facts, dickhead!?” Rika shouted.

 

Just as Shiki was about to say something, Yuki chirped in “But can you prove that theory wrong, Rika-chan? You don’t remember how you got here either, right?”

 

“Also, we all remember it being the fall,” Otome added.

 

“And Hanzo here doesn’t remember his talent.” Karasu continued.

 

“Now that I think about it…” Fukura said thoughtful “That would explain everything, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Doesn’t that make it suspicious? It can’t possibly be that easy…” Tobiko argued.

 

“ _Easy_?” Hoshii interjected, “Since when messing with someone’s memory is easy?”

 

“That’s not what I meant! It’s just the easiest explanation, isn’t it!?”

 

“That doesn’t prove it wrong, though,” Akurami said.

 

“Arguing about it won’t lead us anywhere,” Karisuma exclaimed loudly. “I think we could all enjoy some food and rest for today. We can worry about everything tomorrow.”

  


* * *

 

  


Konan took some sweets from the kitchen before going to the library. She didn’t really like eating in the company. She didn’t really like people at all.

 

She could probably go to her dorm room, but she didn’t feel like it. The library was closer either way.

 

She sighed as she sat on the floor, leaning on one of the bookstands. Today was one hell of a day. She didn’t know what to think about all of it. Though, she was sure the killing would happen, that was settled the moment Monokuma told them that was the only way to escape.

 

She should probably do something to stop it, but… she didn’t feel like it. That required too much effort to be worth it. These people didn’t mean anything to her either way.

 

At some point, she heard the door opening and thought about getting out, but then decided on simply ignoring the intruder. The task shortly proved to be impossible, as the intruder turned out to be Karasu Yuki, the annoyance in its purest form.

 

“Konan~! Here you are~!” she sang, sitting next to Konan, though leaning on the opposite bookstand so the two could face each other.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“Such cruel words~You understand me better than anyone here, so I want to befriend you, obviously~!”

 

“No thanks. Go bother someone else.”

 

“Nu-huh~! You’re the one and only!”

 

“Then at least be quiet. I don’t like noise.”

 

“I see, I see. Lemme note that real quick.” Yuki said with serious expression writing something on a piece of paper she had in a skirt’s pocket.

 

“Are you kidding me?” Konan choked on air, then grabbed the note from Yuki’s hand. All it said was ‘Gotcha~!’. The vet couldn’t help but snort at that.

 

“So! Let’s play a game~! If I win, you have to become my besto friendo! And if I lose, I’ll never bother you again!”

 

“You’re the Ultimate Gambler. What makes you think I’m gonna agree to that?” she looked at the purple haired girl with a smile.

 

“Your reaction to the note was pretty self-explanatory.” Yuki grinned widely “So? You up for the challenge?”

 

“Sure. Let’s play.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

“Shit-aku?” he heard Rika’s voice behind him, as he continued to sort through the warehouse “What the hell are you doing here?”

 

He turned around to face her “Hello, Hanashisuma-chan. What brings you here?”

 

“The smell of conspiracy, apparently,” she answered sharply. She stood at the warehouse door with arms crossed.

 

“Look, I don’t know what you think you just witnessed,” he explained tiredly. He just wanted to get it over with and rest. “I just wanted to make a list of everything that’s stored in the warehouse. In case we needed something.”

 

“Whatever you say, mister Supreme Leader.” she raised her hands in a gesture of giving up “Though, seeing you all alone here, by the hammers aisle… Wouldn’t you agree that can do some shit to the imagination?”

 

“Hanashisuma-chan. I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood for this. If you want to suspect me - then go ahead. I just want to make this stupid list and rest. Today was tiring for everyone, including me.”

 

“Then why are you doing this list? Nobody asked you to, y’know?” she raised her eyebrow.

 

“I believe it’ll be helpful in due time. Especially since we’ll be living here for a while.”

 

“Oh, I get it. You want to make stuff to make us feel guilty. To make us think we’re in debt, huh? And then we’d want to do whatever you want, and you’d have us in grasp. I bet that’s how you became the Ultimate Student Council President, you dickhead. Do you know how it’s called in Japanese? ‘マニピュレーション’. And in Sotho? ‘Mellwane’. And-”

 

“Stop it! God damn it, Rika!” he yelled. The Linguist looked taken aback. “Just shut up.”

 

“Tch. Leader, my ass. Go die in a trench, you roska.” she walked away. Before he could sigh with relief, he heard voices in the corridor.

 

“Oh, hey, Rika was it?” he couldn't link this voice with anyone.

 

“Fuck you.” Rika hissed and judging by the sound of footsteps, she continued walking.

 

A few moments later, the mysterious voice owner entered the warehouse. “Oh, Ridaku!”

 

Karisuma turned around once again. This time he saw Okami standing at the door, looking slightly distressed. Ridaku mentally prepared himself to enter his cheerful leader persona.

 

“Hello, Okami-kun. What brings you here?” he asked softly.

 

“Um… It’s kinda embarrassing… But since you’re the leader, I guess I can tell you.” Hasuki said scratching his neck.

 

Ridaku put down the clipboard with the list of warehouse assortment and motioned the Ultimate Youtuber to come closer. “What’s the matter?”

 

“I just can’t find a place for myself… Everyone formed some kind of groups and… I don’t think I fit any of them… And my dorm room doesn’t remind my apartment, either…”

 

“Oh, I get it. I feel the same way, Okami-kun. That’s why I decided to work for a while.”

 

Hasuki smiled at that. “I’d never ask such question in normal circumstances, but… Think I can help?”

  


* * *

 

  


“Are you even trying!? That’s, like, the millionth time I’ve won!” Karasu pouted, throwing her cards to the ground.

 

“You’re the one who wanted to play,” Konan answered calmly, getting the cards Yuki threw.

 

“That’s boooooring.” she stood up from the library floor “Let’s do something fun.”

 

“Like what?” the vet stood up as well, offering Yuki the cards.

 

Karasu pushed Konan’s forehead, causing her to stumble and let go of cards that fell to the floor once more. “Tag, you’re it!” Yuki shouted before running out of the library with a cheerful laugh.

 

Konan sighed, though she couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face, before following the gambler.

 

To her surprise, Yuki was really fast. Even though she wore at least 5 cm heels and was small, she was able to outrun the vet. Though, at second thought, maybe that wasn’t _that_ surprising - Konan hated any physical activity, so her condition wasn’t the best.

 

Karasu led her to the warehouse, where Karisuma and Okami were doing something. She didn’t care, she just wanted to catch the gambler so she could stop running.

 

Wait.

 

She _could_ stop running.

She could stop running whenever she wanted to. But even though, she found herself following Karasu through the warehouse aisles.

 

“Karasu-san, Hataka-san! What are you doing!?” Karisuma shouted, though didn’t do anything else to stop them when he was ignored.

 

Karasu stopped suddenly, and Konan almost bumped in her.

 

“What’s the matter?” the vet asked once she was caught her breath. Yuki then turned around to face her, her expression blank. “Karasu?”

 

The purple haired girl broke into laughter clutching her stomach, a little out of breath from the run.  


“I wasn’t sure you’d follow me! Ridaku’s words just caught me off guard.” she answered, still laughing cheerfully “You really are interesting~” the giggling stopped as suddenly as it started. “Why did you run anyway?”

 

Konan honestly didn’t know why. She could literally do anything but that, especially since it involved physical activity, and here she was - still breathing heavily, somehow feeling lighter than before.

 

“Why did you keep running if you thought I wasn’t behind?” she asked instead of lying or embarrassing herself.

 

“I didn’t say I thought you weren’t behind, though.” Karasu shrugged “I said I wasn’t sure if you were.”

 

“Did you hear my footsteps or something?”

 

“Naaaah~!” she laughed again. She surely laughed a lot. “My ears were ringing too loud to hear anything! I definitely should exercise more~!”

 

She said it so nonchalantly that Konan was almost sure it was a lie. But maybe it wasn’t. She had no way to know, so she smiled instead. If it was true… then did it mean Karasu wanted to play tag with her more?

 

“How childish…” she muttered under her breath, still smiling gently. Even though, she couldn’t bring herself to care. It was long since she had that much fun with another human. Running and playing card games, on top of that.

 

She thought before that Yuki was annoying, though after spending only a few hours with her, she didn’t know anymore. She wouldn’t say _annoying_ now… but she wouldn’t say _not_ annoying either…

 

But if Yuki was annoying her, then it was the good kind of annoyance.

  
  


* * *

 

  


Hoshii found himself hanging out with Otome. It wasn’t surprising - they were together since they woke up. The two were able to befriend each other extremely quickly, even when no words were exchanged.

 

They were sitting in the dining hall, eating rice they just prepared. They weren’t the only ones there, though. Few seats away sat Hanatsuki, Kosuri, Satoshi and Otori. The group finished eating their own meal some time ago and now were chatting meaninglessly.

 

“I still don’t quite remember all of the names, though!” Hoshii heard Kosuri shout cheerfully. The rest of the group laughed at that, though they found themselves agreeing with Tobiko.

 

“We should do another introduction!” Satoshi exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

 

“I-I’m not sure about that… I mean… N-now we can just… get to know ourselves separately, right? T-there’s no need for… public introductions…” Anko said quietly, but clearly.

 

“Yeah! You’re right!” Satoshi grinned “We have loooots of time since you’re not examining plants as you promised~”

 

Anko jumped in her seat. “I-I’m sorry! B-but… my Lab isn’t open yet… so I’m not able to give… a proper answer… I-I checked the trees and grass… and I’m confused, so… We’ll have to wait… Until my Lab opens...”

 

“What do you mean you’re confused?” Tobiko asked curiously

 

Anko thought for a while, before answering “Um… I-I was asked to check if the plants are artificial. And… they’re not. But… they’re not normal, either. T-there’s something wrong with them, so… I-I need to run some tests… once my Lab is opened.”

 

The others were quiet for a moment. Anko didn’t stutter as much as always, which made her sound serious. They didn’t really get what she meant, but… they could feel something about this school was off.

 

Somewhere during silence, Rika entered the dining hall, visibly angry.

 

“Hanashisuma-chan~! Were you plotting murder already~?” Satoshi asked way too cheerfully. The Linguist sat violently at the table, eying everyone angrily.

 

“Shut up, you little turd!” she shouted, “You don’t deserve to be killed by someone as talented as me!”

 

“Hey, cut it, you two!” Tobiko interjected, “That’s not something we should joke about!”

 

“Kosuri’s right.” Otome said, “The Killing Game didn’t start yet, but there’s no guarantee that it won’t.”

 

“You say one of us is gonna kill someone!? That’s impossible!” Tobiko stood up from her seat.

 

“No, I say that Monokuma isn’t done with us yet. But you touched some good point. One of us _could_ kill someone to get out. We shouldn’t ignore this possibility.”

 

“I’m gonna believe in everyone either way! You can say whatever you want!”

 

“You hurt your head or something!?” their arguing was interrupted by Rika “You're gonna get killed in no time if you keep this attitude, stupid bitch!”

 

“What the hell, Rika!” Tobiko yelled back

 

“Upupu~” they all froze as they heard Monokuma’s brand laugh “Seems like the first conflicts start to divide the group! How exciting! I wonder, who's gonna die first?”

 

“What's wrong with all of you!? Nobody's gonna kill anyone!” Kosuri stubbornly shouted, placing her hands on her ears.

 

“But y’know…” Monokuma tilted it's head “The Killing Game already started.”


	6. Chapter 6

All sixteen of them gathered in the dining hall after Tobiko, Rika, Satoshi, Otome and Hoshii split up to search for everyone. Monokuma’s words scared the shit out of them. They really thought… they really thought that one of them was…

 

But that wasn’t the case. Everyone was alive. Everyone was alright. So why did Monokuma tell them otherwise?

 

“That turd is playing with us,” Rika muttered. She was sure that Monokuma’s words were meant to cause the Killing Game to start, but she didn’t understand. Did the words mean that someone thought about killing anyone? Then, hell yeah, she’d be guilty. But the thoughts alone couldn’t kill, couldn’t cause any harm.

 

And Rika, despite her words, was not the one to harm anyone. The thought alone scared her senseless, not to mention everyone’s acts. It was all suspicious, it was all scary…  

 

She didn’t know who can she trust, if anyone at all. They were here for only a few hours and she already was such a mess.

 

But she wanted to survive, she’d do anything to survive. So if anyone tried to do something suspicious… she wouldn’t hesitate. Or maybe she would. But she’d stop them regardless.

 

“What should we do then?” Hoshii asked himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

 

The room fell quiet at that and Rika could swear she heard everyone hold their breath.

 

She should say something mean now, right? But she found herself being quiet too.

 

“We can’t lose hope!” Tobiko shouted raising her right hand into the air “Monokuma just messes with us! The Killing Game hasn’t started yet!”

 

“That’s right.” Ridaku agreed “We’re all alive. All we have to do is keep it this way.”

 

Despite the heavy situation, everyone’s laughter echoed through the room.

 

“You’re ignorant,” Hasuki said, cutting the light atmosphere created by Karisuma’s joke. “Monokuma said that the Killing Game already started. I think he meant that someone is planning to start it.”

 

“That’s just baseless speculation, isn’t it?” Otori asked timidly.

 

“Maybe. But I believe that we should be wary nonetheless.” Hoshii said.

 

“Maaaan, that’s boring,” Karasu whined, getting all the attention. “Hanzo!” she patted Nazomu, who was sitting next to her “Carry me to my room~!”

 

The silver-haired boy sighed before smiling gently “You sure? I think I might _accidentally_ let go of you on my way.”

 

Yuki giggled cheerfully and stood up “Let’s go then~!”

 

And they went indeed. Nazomu gave Yuki the piggyback ride, which she made as hard as possible by moving around and grabbing Nazomu’s hair and face.

 

“She really is something…” Otori muttered with a smile

 

“She’s a stupid leech.” Rika, who was sitting next to her, answered sharply.

 

“You don’t know that!” Tobiko exclaimed from across the table.

 

“Hataka-san? Didn’t you spent a whole day with her?” Otori turned to the vet sitting on the furthest end of the table “What’s your opinion?”

 

Konan just shrugged in response.

 

“Well, whatever.” Rika sighed “Are we done yet? It’s like, the sixth time today when we talk about nothing and just waste our time.”

 

“The point is,” Karisuma started “that we need to stay united. These meetings are important, even though we accomplish nothing at first glance.”

 

“Though, I suppose, we could stop for today.” Otome interjected “It’s probably late, y’know. It’s dark on the outside. We should sleep.”

 

“You say we sleep in those dorm rooms?” Hasuki asked, clearly annoyed.

 

“What’s wrong with that~?” Satoshi shoved Hasuki playfully

 

“They’re-” the youtuber was interrupted by all the monitors turning on.

 

**_Ding~ dong~ ding~ dong~_ **

On the monitors, Monokuma appeared, holding a glass of drink.

 

 **“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy.”** it said **“It is now 10 p.m., which means it’s officially nighttime. Soon, the door to the dining hall and the gym will be closed. Don’t forget to kill someone in their sleep! Good night, sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”**

 

And the monitors turned off.

 

But students remained frozen.

 

“W-we should…” Anko started timidly.

 

“Yeah, we should get out, probably.” Akurami continued “It said something about closing the door.”

 

They all exited the dining hall and headed toward the dorm rooms to rest for the day.

 

“Kagakure?” Otome tugged at Hoshii’s sleeve “Can I ask you something?”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Hasuki couldn’t sleep. He lied in “his” bed, staring at the ceiling of “his” room. How the hell was he supposed to get any sleep if it was like this?

 

It was just so wrong… so not right… so… frustrating!

 

He rolled out of bed, deciding to try to do something else. But… what? There was no computer, so he couldn’t do anything he usually does. So… read a book, maybe? Ah, who was he even kidding? He never even tried to read a book before.

 

Sighing, he decided to simply go for a walk. Maybe he’d get lucky and find some clues.

 

So he got up and just exited the room. The Academy at night was really quiet. At daytime, it’d be noisy - mostly because of Hanashisuma, Satoshi and Karasu. In his case, it was especially Satoshi that got under his skin. This little shit tormented him all the time, saying things about his Youtube career and stuff. It was really irritating.

 

The gentle light given by the moon gave the corridors almost creepy look. But to him, it was beautiful. It suited his mood in a poetic way. He even had good words in his mind to describe it, but they stayed out of his grasp, never to be known.

 

When he got outside of the dorms, he got surprised, though he couldn’t exactly comprehend why. The air seemed still. Extremely still. He didn’t know why, but it gave him an unsettling feeling.

 

On top of that, it was warm. Well, maybe not _warm_ , but… warmer than you’d expect in the middle of the night, certainly.

 

With that in mind, he crossed the courtyard and got to the school building.

 

There, on the stairs, were sitting Otome and Hoshii, visibly tired.

 

“Kagakure? Tamari?” he called, heading toward them. They turned their heads to him, then waved.

 

“Hey, Okami-kun.” said Otome, Hoshii just nodded at him.

 

“Can’t sleep either?” the youtuber asked.

 

“Heh, kinda…?” Tamari answered hesitantly glancing at Kagakure.

 

“‘Kinda’?” Okami titled his head “What do you mean?”

 

“Ah, um…” Otome glanced between Hasuki and Hoshii nervously. The latter sighed heavily.

 

“Tamari asked me to pull an all-nighter with him,” he said calmly.

 

“Why?”

 

“I… was afraid someone might… do something _weird_.” Otome explained scratching his neck awkwardly.

 

Realization left Okami gawking in surprise.

 

“Y-you…” he whispered, “T-that’s impressive!”

 

“Thanks, I guess.” Otome smiled hesitantly before breaking into an honest laugh “Hope you’re not planning anything.”

 

“H-huh?” Hasuki gawked before laughing as well “Who knows?”

 

“But anyway,” Hoshii interjected “Be careful. You never know, mate.”

 

Suddenly, Hasuki’s throat felt super sore. He gulped and nodded at Hoshii.

 

He really wanted to go out. No, he _needed_ to go out. That’s why… he’d find a way to escape, he was sure of it.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

 

Otome awoke to the monitor in his room turning on.

 

 **“Rise and shine, kiddos! It is now 8 a.m., which means nighttime is officially over. Soon, door to the dining hall and the gym will open.”** Monokuma said, holding a glass of drink, like last time. **“Get ready to welcome another beautiful day at the Ultimate Academy!”**

 

And the monitor turned off.

 

Otome had a hard time getting out of bed, since he and Hoshii stayed up almost all night. They decided to go to sleep at dawn, when the sky turned pinkish red.

 

He lied in bed for another few minutes, trying not to fall asleep again. He should probably go to the dining hall to meet everyone. But his eyelids were just so heavy, and his mind was surrounded by a pleasant fog… and the sheets were so warm…

 

No.

 

He had to get up.

 

So he lazily stretched himself and got out of bed, rubbing his eyes.

 

After a few minutes, he exited the room and headed to the dining hall. But putting an all-nighter got to him and he walked kinda on autopilot, with his eyes dangerously close to being shut.

 

Sleepily, he walked down the stairs in the school building, even though he didn’t remember there being stairs on the way to the dining hall. Putting the thought aside, he pushed the door open and the fog in his mind immediately cleared.

 

**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

 

The monitors turned on and Monokuma appeared, this time without the glass.

 

**“A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the Class Trial will begin.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dum dum duuum~  
> The next chapter is gonna be an investigation and the two chapters after that the Class Trial.  
> Hope you enjoy this case!


	7. Chapter 7

Somehow, breathing suddenly seemed impossible, as Otome stared at Okami’s body, not being able to move, to tell everyone, to…  
  
“What the hell!?” he heard Rika shouting beside him. He turned to her and immediately regretted it. She looked like she was about to puke or faint, he wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.  
  
He couldn’t blame her, though. He felt the same way.  
  
Because there he was. The Ultimate Youtuber, Okami Hasuki, lying dead in Karasu’s lab. He wasn’t even sure how he got here in the first place. He just wanted to meet everyone in the dining hall. He never wanted to witness… this. Was it destiny? Was it luck? Was it something else?  
  
Now that Rika was here, he could stop standing in shock and get a look at the crime scene.  
  
Okami was lying on his back, a small pool of blood underneath him. Blood probably came from the back of his head, as it was mostly underneath it. Aside from it, there were no visible injuries. No murder weapon in sight, either. He would have to examine the body if he wanted to know what happened. But he desperately didn’t want to do that. He was nauseous from this sight alone, he probably wouldn’t get through seeing it closely...  
  
“Hanashisuma-chan…” he muttered, “Go get everyone.”  
  
“I’ll bash your face for ordering me around later,” she said, not as sharply as ever, and ran upstairs.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
When everyone gathered in Karasu’s lab, it seemed like no one could believe in what awaited there. More likely they didn’t want to acknowledge it. To think that one of them died… And that another one of them is the murderer…  
  
“Upupu~.“ they heard Monokuma, who appeared suddenly next to the body. “Finally the killing happened. I might say, it’s the fastest it ever-. Ah, whatever. Since Y'all don’t have medical degree… well, aside from Hataka-chan and Keshousun-chan… I decided to help you out a little.” it showed them something akin to Monopods. “The Monokuma File! It contains the basic information about the victim, like the cause and time of death. It’s uploaded to your Monopods right now. Well then, good luck investigating.” it disappeared.  
  
The first one to break the silence was Karisuma.  
  
“Hataka-san, Keshousun-san, I’m really sorry to ask that, but since you’re the only ones with a medical degree I suppose it’s only right if you examine the body closely.”  
  
“I do not mind,” Shiki answered, clearly unfazed by the fact that she was standing near a dead body. But then again, she was the Ultimate Tanato Cosmetologist, and from what she said it was about doing makeup on dead people. “And you, Hataka-san?” Konan only shrugged in response.  
  
Otome took his time to take out his Monopod and open the Monokuma File. He was surprised he had it with him, but that was probably because he didn’t take it out of his pocket last night, and this morning he was in a hurry and just put on yesterday’s clothes. He sighed and read the file.  
  
The victim is Okami Hasuki, the Ultimate Youtuber. The cause of death is blow to the back of the head. Time of death is about 3 a.m.  
  
And that was all it said.  
  
Well, he couldn’t complain, it was useful info, but… maybe because of lack of sleep, he couldn’t connect it with anything.  
  
He remembered how last night he and Hoshii talked with Okami. Just a few hours ago… Just a few hours ago everything was alright. Karisuma even said that all they had to do was to stay alive! And Hoshii said that Okami should be careful! Then… why did it happen?  
  
He didn’t particularly like the Youtuber - he seemed too confident and critic - but he didn’t wish for him to die. Quite the contrary, actually. He wanted everyone to live, even though they just met yesterday. Maybe because of the situation they were in, he couldn’t tell, he was able to connect with everyone.  
  
They were in a Killing Game, after all.  
  
He glanced across the room. Aside from Konan and Shiki, who were crouching next to the body, everyone was standing awkwardly or talking. It seemed no one knew what to do. Ridaku included.  
  
Otome decided to talk to everyone about last night. If the culprit is one of them, he should be able to catch some contradictions, right?  
  
“I was here, killing Okami-kun~!” Karasu exclaimed, smiling cheerfully when he asked her what she was doing.  
  
“H-huh?”  
  
“Juuuust kidding! I was sleeping.” she laughed “Or not? Who knows?”  
  
“I see…” it seemed he wouldn’t get any information out of Karasu, so he went off.  
  
“I-I was with Shiki,” said Utsuri upon being asked. “We were watching movies in the A/V room because I couldn’t sleep.”  
  
“I see.” Otome thought for a while, before going off.  
  
“Huh!? You decided to play detective or whatever!?” Rika shouted, “I’m not telling you, you stupid shit!”  
  
“Hanashisuma-chan… It’s for your safety. I just want to find the culprit.”  
  
“What gave you the idea my testimony will change anything? And what the hell gave you the idea that one of us is the culprit!?”  
  
“Huh? But Monokuma said…”  
  
“You believed that teddy bear!? You hurt your head or what?”  
  
“I…”  
  
“Upupu!” Monokuma appeared beside them “And here I thought I wouldn’t have to do this… Listen, kiddos. The culprit is definitely one of you. Believe it or not, but if you choose the wrong person in the Class Trial, Y'all get punished!”  
  
“Punished?” Otome asked “You said so earlier, too. What exactly is this ‘punishment’?”  
  
“Well, death of course,” it said before disappearing.  
  
“W-whoa!?”  
  
“Now you did it, turd,” Rika shouted, but not as sharply as ever. If anything, her voice shook a little. She seemed rather scared than angry. He didn’t blame her. He was scared, either. They had to get the culprit right. Even if it meant death for that person.  
  
“I was sleeping, probably. Yuki played chess with me for a long time before I went to sleep and she went somewhere. I assume she didn’t sleep, so she’s suspicious. Check it out.” Nazomu said  
  
The rest said they were sleeping, some of them offended by the question, some of them didn’t complain.  
  
“I-I was sleeping… obviously…” said Anko  
  
“I see.”  
  
“Um… Tamari-kun?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“W-what do you think… about the m-murder weapon?”  
  
“Murder weapon?”  
  
“I’m sorry!” she almost jumped, screeching the apologies, “I-I thought it’d be important!”  
  
Indeed, they never have seen any kind of murder weapon. It was obviously hidden by the culprit, but where?  
  
“Could you investigate that?” he asked Anko. He needed to talk to Shiki and Konan first and he didn’t know how much time they had left before the Class Trial began.  
  
“I-I’ll do my best,” she said before running off.  
  
He then approached Konan and Shiki. He didn’t notice this before, but Keshousun had her jacket buckled all the way up to her neck when she usually left it unfastened. Well, usually meant only one day, but still.  
  
“Keshousun-san? Hataka-san? Did you find anything?” he asked  
  
“It seems Okami-kun did struggle. He has bruises on his arm.” Shiki answered “Aside from that, he wasn’t killed here, he must have been dragged. And, he was killed with a glass object. The culprit tried to clean it off, but some of the small shards remained in the wound.”  
  
“Whoa, that’s a lot of information!”  
  
“I did my best, Tamari-kun. Hataka-san helped a lot, too.”  
  
“I bet,” he said before wandering off.  
  
Okami was killed somewhere else, huh? But where?  
  
Otome exited Karasu’s lab, noticing that there were fewer people in there than before. The ones who stayed was Akurami, Tobiko and Utsuri (who was standing next to Keshousun, visibly nervous).  
  
The first thing he noticed, was Anko, who was sorting through the trash can.  
  
“Hanatsuki?” he asked, approaching her. She winced, then turned to him with a blush.  
  
“I-I just… I-I was…” she stuttered, trying to form an explanation  
  
“You… were searching for the murder weapon, yes?”  
  
“Y-yeah!” she yelled, then covered her mouth with her palm. “I-I… thought the culprit could’ve… thrown it away…?”  
  
“Oh. So, did you find anything?”  
  
“I-I think so.” she motioned him to come closer “There are bloodied cloth and glass shards. I-I think that’s the m-murder weapon.”  
  
“The cloth too?”  
  
“A-ah! I-I don’t know. Maybe…? It was certainly used for something.”  
  
“Yeah.” she then proceeded to sort through trash and he turned to leave. They had the murder weapon, that was good. But they still didn’t know where Okami-kun was killed.  
  
**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_**  
  
And it seemed they’d never know. Since Otome had a feeling he knew what Monokuma was about to say.  
  
**“I got tired of waiting, so we’re gonna start now. Please proceed to the Shrine of Judgement, which you so kindly called ‘the Chapel’. I’m gonna guide you from there.”**  
  
And his feeling was right.  


	8. Class Trial 1

When they arrived at ‘the Shrine of Judgement’, the waterfall stopped flowing, revealing a passageway.  
  
“We… have to go in there?” Tobiko asked hesitantly, though with strength in her voice.  
  
“Let’s go,” said Karisuma.  
  
So they did.  
  
The passageway turned out to be an elevator, big enough for them to comfortably stand in. When they got in, a metal gateway shut and the elevator started going down. Slowly, but surely.  
  
“God damn it!” Rika shouted, “Why is this shit so slow!?”  
  
“Shut up,” Tobiko said, visibly nervous herself. Hanashisuma seemed to get that, as she only tsked and didn’t say anything else.  
  
The elevator finally stopped and they each entered the Trial Ground. There were sixteen platforms, each fenced with metal pipes. The platforms were aligned in a circle. On one of them was standing a photo of Okami with his face strikethrough. Behind Okami’s platform was some kind of throne, on which Monokuma was sitting.  
  
“Upupu~,” it said, “Please, pick a platform of your own and let’s start the Class Trial~.”  
  
They had no choice but to obey.  
  
[Class Trial: Insession]  
  
“Now then~! Let’s begin with a basic explanation of the Class Trial! During the trial, you’ll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for ‘whodunnit’. Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person… I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy! Also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone! Now, let’s get this crazy, awesome, crazy-awesome trial underway!”  
  
The room fell quiet.  
  
But only for a few moments.  
  
“Karasu’s the culprit!” Rika shouted, confident.  
  
All of them turned to face Yuki, and she didn’t even flinch, her typical smirk still in place.  
  
“You’re right! I’m the culprit!” she chirped.  
  
But Otome wasn’t so sure.  
  
“Since Okami was found in my lab and all.” she continued to spat her nonsense.  
  
“That’s not right!” Tamari interjected. “The fact that body was found in your lab doesn’t mean you’re the culprit. You see,“ he faced Shiki, “Keshousun said that Okami wasn’t killed there.”  
  
“That is right.” Shiki agreed “Okami-san was dragged to your lab”  
  
“Still could be the culprit, y’know.” Yuki didn’t lose a bit. Otome felt like they all played a game she hosted.  
  
“Then…” Karisuma started “How did you kill him?”  
  
Karasu just laughed. “Are you seriously so stupid? That was literally written in the Monokuma File~!”  
  
“Was it? I didn’t read it.”  
  
That only caused Karasu to laugh more. “I smashed him in a head!”  
  
“Did you?” Tobiko asked, “Are you really the culprit?”  
  
“Sure did-”  
  
“Doesn’t matter.” Rika interjected “We need to talk this case through, you dickheads! The little shit is just playing with us, so let’s ignore her!”  
  
“Hey! I have important clues!”  
  
“Then, what do you suggest, Hanashisuma-san?” Shiki asked, ignoring Karasu  
  
“We need to sort through everything we know so far.” linguist answered calmly. A lot more calmly than usual.  
  
“That’s it!” Akurami suddenly interjected, “Let’s discuss the murder weapon!”  
  
“Yeah!” Tobiko yelled, “I searched the entire basement and didn’t find anything!”  
  
“Anko did~!” Akurami clasped her hands.  
  
“I-I… found glass shards and a bloodied cloth in the trash can…” Hanatsuki said, blushing.  
  
“But… what does that mean? There’s a lot of glass things in this academy. As for the cloth… It could be the culprit’s uniform, right?” Tobiko brought her hand to her face in thought.  
  
“That’s where Agares is coming to save the day~!” Akurami smiled cheerfully  
  
“Agares?” Otome asked  
  
“Agares is a demon of wisdom~!” Rikomu laughed gently “So! Thanks to Agares-sama, I thought of a theory! What if... “ she made dramatical pause “that cloth was used to clean off the blood after Okami-kun was dragged?”  
  
“What does it have to do with murder weapon!?” Rika asked, irritated.  
  
“The answer shall reveal itself when the time comes!”  
  
“Anyway, Akurami-san, it’s a plausible theory.” Ridaku praised  
  
“So, where was Okami dragged from?” Otome asked  
  
“Somewhere in a basement, I believe,” Akurami said, doing weird waving thing with her hand  
  
“So, Okami was killed somewhere in the basement, then dragged to Karasu’s lab. After that, the culprit cleaned off and done.” Tobiko summed up with her hand on her mouth, deep in thought  
  
“Then I still can be the culprit~!” Karasu chirped in “I played chess with Hanzo at night. And where is the only chess board in this school~?”  
  
“Your lab.” Nazomu sighed.  
  
“Bingo~!”  
  
“Um, sorry Karasu, but I don’t believe you’re the culprit…” Otome said, not really believing what he was saying.  
  
“Until you prove me wrong, I’m right,” she answered sharply, almost like Rika, folding her arms on her chest.  
  
“That’s not really how this works, you know. And I know you’re wrong because I saw you heading out of the school building when I was keeping watch with Kagakure.” he pointed his finger at her, challengingly.  
  
“Kyaaa~! You stalker!” she said, though she seemed somehow thrown off. Meanwhile, Hanzo, who was standing next to her, laughed gently.  
  
“Let’s get back on track,” Karisuma exclaimed.  
  
“Since we don’t know who the culprit is, why don’t we talk about who isn’t?” Hoshii spoke up for the first time since the Class Trial began.  
  
“Um… Who isn’t the culprit?” Tobiko seemed lost  
  
“That doesn’t make much sense. Most of us said they were asleep. We have no possibility to check that.” Karisuma argued  
  
“Let’s do it~!” Akurami sang “Tamari-kun! Bring it on!”  
  
“Um…” Otome thought for a while. “I and Kagakure were patrolling the school ground. When we were resting on the stairs, Okami walked up to us. Then he went off, and we went back to patrolling. We witnessed Keshousun entering the school and Nazomu and Karasu exiting the school. But Utsuri said he was with Keshousun the whole time, and Nazomu said he and Karasu split up…. So, I guess you could be the culprit…” he said looking at Yuki, who was smiling.  
  
“Let me tell you this. The body discovery announcement played when you witnessed the body, right?” she asked, her voice soft, but at the same time sharp.  
  
“Yeah, so?” he narrowed his eyes at her “Are you suggesting I’m the culprit?”  
  
“Oh, am I?” she laughed “Didn’t notice.” she waved her hand dismissively “And it seems like you didn’t notice something, either.”    
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“The body discovery announcement. C’mon, it’s obvious.”  
  
“Um… It plays after….” realization suddenly left him speechless. “Three or more people witness the body…”  
  
“Ding ding ding~!” she sang “And what does that mean, Mr Detective?”  
  
“That someone besides me and the culprit witnessed the body.”  
  
It seemed everyone held their breath. No one dared to break the silence, as the realization hit them all hard.  
  
“An accomplice?” Tobiko asked herself quietly  
  
“What kind of an idiot would do something like that?” Otori murmured  
  
“Upupu~!” it laughed “That’s right. Only the actual killer is the culprit of the case.”  
  
“Hey, Karasu…” Otome asked, equally softly “Were you the one who witnessed the body?”  
  
“Oh, my~!” she didn’t even laugh “You really are suspecting me…” she was silent for a little while “Then how about that? I’ll lead you by your hand toward the truth.”  
  
“You mean… you know who the culprit is?” Tobiko interjected  
  
“I have my suspects. I would bet that it’s the correct answer. And I never lose a bet~. So, about that cloth and stuff… We all agree that Okami-kun was killed somewhere in the basement?” Karasu asked with a smug grin  
  
“I guess?” Otome asked as well, hesitant. He didn’t know where was this going, what Karasu was scheming…  
  
“And who was the person who was in a basement?”  
  
“You…?” Karasu sighed at that.  
  
“You witnessed me and Hanzo exiting the school building.”  
  
“Ah, right. Then…” he turned to face Shiki “Keshousun-chan?”  
  
  
  



	9. Class Trial 1

They all held a breath and Otome could swear he saw droplets of sweat form on Shiki’s forehead. But that was understandable. She was just accused of murder, after all.  
  
“Are you kidding me?” surprisingly, it was Tobiko who shouted that, not Rika “Wasn’t Utsuri with her? How the hell is she the killer?”  
  
“Actually…” he couldn’t help but feel gratitude toward Hoshii, as he always knew how to help him. Like now, when Otome didn’t want to explain everything, so Hoshii did. They really were in sync. “We never saw Utsuri. For all we know, this could be a lie.”  
  
“B-but…” even Anko raised her voice a little more than usual.  
  
They weren’t really close with Shiki, but… they didn’t want her to be the murderer. To die next…  
  
“Well, Keshousun-chan? Are you the culprit?” Akurami asked, visibly enjoying herself.  
  
Shiki’s face for a moment fell. “I…” she started, glancing at Utsuri, who presumably lied for her.  
  
“If she was, it’d make sense…” Otome muttered, not really intending on interrupting Shiki.  
  
“What would, exactly?” Otori asked,   
  
“Keshousun was in the A/V room, probably. She saw Okami and smashed him in the head with something glass from there, then dragged him to Karasu’s lab and cleaned up,” he explained.  
  
“Isn’t it the perfect moment to get back to the murder weapon?” Akurami interjected  
  
“Ah, right. We haven’t discussed it yet…” Tobiko muttered  
  
“But what could be used as a weapon in the A/V room? Glass, on top of that?” Karisuma asked, confused.  
  
“Was there some kind of vase? Or something?” Otori continued Karisuma’s line of thought  
  
They fell silent for a while, thinking about it. Then, Nazomu cleared his throat.  
  
“What about a monitor?” he asked “It would shatter upon smashing someone with it, wouldn’t it? And A/V room is full of them.”  
  
“Seriously?” Rika interjected “She killed Okami with the monitor? That’s just messed up!”  
  
“But hey,” Karisuma exclaimed “Nobody counted them, right? So we have no way of knowing if one of them is missing. For all we know, it could be the murder weapon.”  
  
“No, I don’t think so... “ Otome said, thoughtful “Something’s not right here. You’re saying Keshousun saw Okami, went up to him and smashed him in the head with monitor, right?”  
  
“Um, yeah….” Tobiko agreed  
  
“But Keshousun said that Okami struggled. So he couldn’t have been killed by surprise.”  
  
“You do have a point…” Nazomu said “But y’know, this could be a lie. Everything she said could be a lie.”  
  
“No.” Otome remarked sharply “Because Hataka was with her and saw the body herself.”  
  
“That’s right!” Tobiko shouted, her voice full of hope “Hataka! Did he struggle?”  
  
As everyone turned to face Konan, she shifted uncomfortably in her platform. “He had bruises on his arm.” she stated “And they seemed fresh. So yeah, I believe he struggled.”  
  
“Then he wasn't murdered by surprise…” Karisuma muttered  
  
“If that’s the case…” Akurami started “How did she manage to hit him in the back of the head?”  
  
During that exchange, Otome glanced at Shiki. She stood still, like always, but her face looked troubled. That made sense, of course, her murder was being exposed, but… Something still didn’t seem right.  
  
He looked at Utsuri, thinking about the boy’s lie. Graphic designer stood with his head down, his shoulders shaking slightly, almost unnoticeable. Was this because Shiki turned out to be the killer after he protected her?  
  
Wait.  
  
Utsuri lied about being with Shiki. Then, did that mean he knew about the murder? Or did he just trust her that much as to lie for her?  
  
Cogs in Otome’s head started circling violently. What was Utsuri’s part in this case? What was the secret behind the struggle?  
  
“Does it hold any significance?” Keshousun asked, and Otome almost thought she knew what he was thinking about “I am the culprit. It does not matter how I did it.”  
  
Surprised gasps echoed through the room. Yeah, they suspected her, but hearing it directly from her was like being smashed in the head. Bad joke.  
  
“S-Shiki!” Utsuri squicked, and Keshousun smiled gently at him.  
  
“What’s the matter, Utsuri-kun?” she asked smugly, almost mockingly. “You knew that all along, did you not? That is why you told that lie about us being together.”  
  
“N-no! I-I…” he trailed off “I didn’t lie! Please, just stop it! We both know what happened! So let’s just tell everyone…”  
  
“Huh?” she tilted her head “What could you possibly mean? Everyone already does know what happened. I killed Okami-san. End of the story.”  
  
“S-Shiki! Please…” he hanged his head, and Otome saw tears falling from his eyes to the floor “Just stop it….”  
  
“Are you telling me to stop telling the truth?”  
  
“N-no… I’m telling you to finally tell the truth.” he looked up, straight into her eyes, his teary face full of pain “I’m the culprit you’re searching for.”  
  
“What the hell!?” Rika interjected  
  
“Indeed. ‘What the hell’, Utsuri-kun?” Keshousun asked, though her face fell for a second. She almost looked scared.  
  
“I killed Okami-kun.” Kushisa said with much more force than usual “And you know that, Shiki. So let me tell y’all what happened.”  
  
They all found themselves quiet. Utsuri never talked with that much confidence, that much force. All they could do was listen in surprise and somewhat fear.  
  
[Closing argument: start]  
  
The case started yesterday night when the culprit asked Shiki to watch movies with them because they were too afraid to go to sleep. Tanato cosmetologist agreed, though met up with the culprit in the A/V room with delay, for she wanted to use the bathroom. That was why Kagakure and Tamari, who were patrolling the school ground didn’t witness the culprit entering the school. The culprit and Shiki split up once during the night because the culprit went to the warehouse to get some bottled water and snacks.  
  
Meanwhile, Okami Hasuki, the victim of the case, thought up a plan of his own. He was desperate to escape, to win the Killing Game. Even if it meant killing someone. So when he wandered into the basement and saw Keshousun sitting alone in the A/V room, on the verge of falling asleep, he didn’t hesitate.  
  
He walked up to Shiki and tried to strangle her with his bandana. The girl, of course, tried to free herself, but Okami turned out to be too strong. Stronger than anyone would expect.  
  
Meanwhile, the culprit walked in, returning from the warehouse. When they saw Okami strangling Keshousun, they dropped everything they were holding and run up to the victim, trying to get him off Shiki.  
  
But Hasuki was too desperate to give up now, so he continued to strangle Keshousun, even when the culprit pulled him by his arm, leaving bruises.  
  
The culprit, seeing how his attempts at helping Shiki were met with no effect, let go of Okami and in act of desperation grabbed one of the monitors present in the A/V room and smashed Okami in the back of the head. The hit ended Okami’s life and caused the monitor to shatter.  
  
Then, the culprit and Shiki dragged Okami’s body to Karasu’s lab and cleaned up the blood smudges with the bandana Okami left behind. Glass shards were disposed of in a nearby trash can, along with the bloodied cloth.  
  
Then, the culprit and Keshousun went their separate ways, pretending the murder never happened.  
  
That’s the truth of the case. And the culprit is me - Utsuri Kushisa, the Ultimate Graphic Designer.  
  
[Closing argument: end]  
  
Even when Utsuri stopped speaking, no one dared say anything. They were too shocked, too disbelieving…  
  
“But…” Tobiko tried, but couldn’t find any argument against the story.  
  
“That is indeed a beautiful story, Utsuri-kun.” Shiki said “What a shame that’s not what happened. We all know that I’m the culprit, and while I appreciate you trying to help me, I believe there’s no need for that.”  
  
“That’s my line, Shiki. Stop lying for me.”  
  
“Keshousun?” Otome interjected, “Could you unzip your jacket?”  
  
“Yeah, Shiki, show everyone the bruise Okami left you,” Utsuri added  
  
Shiki sighed. “Very well. I apologize, everyone.” she unfastened her jacket, revealing her bruised neck. “Utsuri-kun’s story is true.”  
  
“Now then” Monokuma interjected “I believe the case is solved. So it’s Voting Time~! Pick a person on a panel in front of you. Will you make the right choice? Or dreadfully wrong one? I’m so excited!”  
  
Otome’s hand froze in front of Utsuri’s photo on the panel. He glanced around. Everyone hesitantly tapped something. He sighed, before tapping as well.  
  
Suddenly, a giant monitor slid down from the ceiling, revealing photos of each of them. Under Utsuri’s photo, yellow column expanded, as the number next to it increased. 10, 13, and then 15. All of them voted for Utsuri. Even Keshousun, who was so adamant at protecting him.  
  
“Oh, my~!” Monokuma sang “You got that right! The culprit who killed Okami Hasuki was  Utsuri Kushisa!” But they didn’t have time to feel relieved, as Monokuma continued speaking “Now then, I prepared very special punishment for the Ultimate Graphic Designer!” then, in front of Monokuma, appeared giant red button “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIME!” it shouted as it pushed the button with a hammer that appeared out of nowhere.  
  
Suddenly, a metal hand reached for Utsuri and Shiki grabbed his wrist, desperately trying to rescue him, but to no avail. The metal hand took Utsuri somewhere.  
  
Then, on the giant monitor, which was displaying the voting result, appeared Utsuri. He was flooded with paints - cyan, magenta, yellow and black at the end, then pushed to some kind of machine, which turned out to be a calendering team. They watched in horror as Utsuri was crushed by calenders, his screams fresh in their minds as his lifeless body got dumped to their feet.  
  
[Class Trial: end]


	10. How did it happen?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically the case from the culprit's POV. It was very fun to write~

**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

Utsuri felt his blood stopping moving, as he heard monitors turning on. This couldn’t possibly mean anything good. Well, nothing in this academy _could_.

 **“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy.”** said Monokuma holding a glass of drink **“It is now 10 p.m., which means it’s officially nighttime. Soon, the door to the dining hall and the gym will be closed. Don’t forget to kill someone in their sleep! Good night, sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”**

“W-we should…” he heard Anko like through some kind of glass, or fog, or whatever, it just didn’t make any sense.

“Yeah, we should get out, probably.” Akurami continued “It said something about closing the door.”

So he followed everyone on their way out of the dining hall. When they all dispersed and went their separate ways, he felt Shiki tugging his sleeve.

“Is everything alright?” she asked.

What was he supposed to tell her? ‘Yeah, absolutely wonderful!’? ‘No, I think I’m gonna throw up any second just thinking about this situation’? None of the above felt right. Shiki was just being nice, there was no reason for him to get all defensive.

“Y-yeah… As good as it can be,” he replied.

She stared at him for a moment before smiling gently. “If you wish for me to do anything to make you feel better, do not hesitate to ask. I will remain in my assigned dorm room.”

He nodded, and she went away. He stood in the same place for a few minutes after everyone else was long gone, before going to his own room.

  
  
  


* * *

 

  


He couldn’t sleep.

Each time he closed his eyes he saw corpses. His own, Shiki’s, everyone’s… He thought about Monokuma and what he told them. He thought about how relieved he was when he thought he wasn’t the first to die. He thought about how disgusting he was for having these thoughts.

Then he saw corpses again and almost threw up.

After 5th time he felt his insides clenching painfully, he decided he was done.

He got up and went to Shiki’s room.

But his hand froze before he knocked on her door. What if she didn’t mean what she said? What if she was just being nice? What if she didn’t want him to come? What if she was sleeping and he would wake her up? What if-

“Ah, fuck it.” he cut his train of thought, knocking trice at Shiki’s door.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally opened, dressed only in her dress - no jacket, no gloves, no corset.

“Utsuri-kun? What’s the matter?” she asked

“Ah!” he cursed himself for his thoughts and scratched his neck “I couldn’t sleep and remembered how you told me I could always come to you and I just acted without thinking…  I’m sorry for waking you up, I-”

“That’s alright. I couldn’t sleep either,” she said, though Utsuri could tell she was lying. “What about we do something to keep us occupied, then?”

“Ah, sure. Do you have something in mind?”

“I think I saw DVDs in A/V room. What do you think about movie marathon?”

“Sure, yeah!”

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He sat on a couch in the A/V room, waiting for Shiki, who was still using the bathroom or whatever.

He was kinda sleepy, though he didn’t think he would sleep that night. Or any other night in this academy for that matter.

“Utsuri-kun?” Shiki’s voice brought him back to reality.

“Ah! Yeah!” he exclaimed, turning to face her standing in the doorframe, still only in her dress “You ready?”

“I suppose.” she walked up to the DVD stand and eyed the movie titles. He just waited for her to pick a movie she liked. “Oh! The Saw! Do you like this movie, Utsuri-kun?”

“Ah, I’ve never watched it before.”

“Eh? I cannot let it slide past me. We are going to watch all parts.” she smiled almost cheerfully as she took out the DVD.

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


They were past the second movie when their stomachs started making noises.

“I’m gonna go to the kitchen for something to eat,” he said

“I’m afraid the kitchen is unavailable at nighttime. But the warehouse should have what we need.” she smiled gently.

So he went to the warehouse. Finding bottled water was easy, there was an entire aisle of bottled drinks, but finding snacks turned out to be difficult.

He was standing in an aisle with waffles and chocolates, thinking what Shiki might like. She seemed like a waffle person, but she _was_ kinda sweet, so chocolate should be fine and what the fuck was he thinking about again!?

In the end, he took the dark chocolate thinking it would suit Shiki the most. He’d have to ask her later what she liked the most. He’d make sure to always have it with him then.

What was he thinking again?

But he forgot all about his thoughts once he entered A/V room.

There he was - Okami Hasuki - strangling Shiki from behind with his bandana. Utsuri didn’t even think about it as he rushed to her side to pull Okami off her.

But youtuber was strong. No matter how hard Utsuri pulled, how hard he tried - he didn’t even budge.

But Utsuri refused to give up. He pulled and pulled, thinking only about saving Shiki. She was so nice to him, she was so kind, so gentle, so smart! She couldn’t die! No no no no no!

But Hasuki didn’t even budge.

Weird sound coming from Shiki’s throat wiped all his doubts. He grabbed one of the monitors present in the A/V room and smashed Okami in the head with all his might.

“Oh, shit-” then he realized what he has done.

He killed… Oh my god, he KILLED Okami!

“O-Okami-kun?” he asked, his voice hoarse, as he crouched next to the body. He poked him, but Hasuki didn’t react. Then again. And again. And again. And-

“There’s no use.” he heard Shiki, her voice even more hoarse than his - well, she was almost strangled. “He’s dead.”

“B-but-”

“Thank you, Utsuri-kun. That may sound horrible, but you did just save my life. And I’m grateful for it. We should hurry up and clean this mess up.” she placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Y-yeah…” he said.

Cleaning up in his memory was a blur. He took off the glass shards from Okami’s head, and Shiki cleaned the monitor’s remnants. Then, they both dragged Okami to Karasu’s lab and cleaned the blood from the floor with Okami’s bandana.

“Seems like we’re done,” he said once everything was cleaned up.

“Indeed.” she, once again, patted him on the shoulder and smiled sweetly “Everything’s going to be alright.”

He didn’t sleep that night.

  
  
  


* * *

 

  


**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

Finally. The monitor in his room turned on.

 **“Rise and shine, kiddos! It is now 8 a.m., which means nighttime is officially over. Soon, door to the dining hall and the gym will open.”** said Monokuma, holding a glass of drink, like last time. **“Get ready to welcome another beautiful day at the Ultimate Academy!”**

And the monitor turned off.

Utsuri lazily got out of bed and headed to the dining hall. He should eat something, but he wasn’t really hungry. The sight of Okami’s lifeless body was still fresh in his mind, haunting him at every step he’d make.

“Good morning, Utsuri-kun.” he was greeted by Shiki, exiting her room as well.

“Hey,” he said.

She walked up to him and patted his shoulder, like last night. “I’ve got your back, okay?” she said with a gentle smile, dropping her polite way of speaking.

He just nodded and followed her to the dining hall.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


 

“Tamari and Okami are missing,” Karisuma noted as they all began their meal.

“‘m gonna search for them,” said Rika, before running off.

**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

And Utsuri’s blood ran cold. He could feel Shiki’s hand on his under the table and he felt a little bit calmer, but the effect quickly disappeared as on the monitor appeared Monokuma, not holding the glass of drink.

**“A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the Class Trial will begin.”**

And panic ate him alive.

“What the hell!?” Tobiko shouted, startled by the announcement.

“We should split up and check what happened,” said Karisuma, and they all ran off.

Except for him and Shiki, who was still holding his hand.

“We should go too,” she said, but he found himself being unable to move, to talk, to do anything.

So they remained there, frozen, until Rika appeared, telling them that Okami was dead.

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


When he heard Shiki being accused, he felt fear so big it left him almost unable to breathe.

“Does it hold any significance?” she asked, and he thought ‘yes. Yes it does, because it’s not you who killed him and that fact points to me and you’re trying to protect me even though I don’t deserve it and-’

“S-shiki!” he just didn’t understand. Why was she so nice to him? So kind, so understanding, when he was so worthless and disgusting and-

And he was the culprit.

“I killed Okami-kun. And you know that, Shiki. So let me tell y’all what happened.”

And as he was crushed and drowned alive the only thing he regretted was that he didn’t get to ask what was Shiki’s favourite snack.


	11. Chapter 11

  
  
The Class Trial ended. Utsuri died. And they all just stood in the Shrine of Judgement, not knowing what to do.  
  
Shiki stood somewhere between them all, feeling only despair, crying soundlessly. She was the first one to exit the area, her teary face showing only pain.  
  
Otome found himself wanting to go after her, try to cheer her up or something, but now that the whole murder thing ended he felt extremely sleepy.  
  
“Good job solving the case.” he heard Hoshii saying beside him.  
  
“Huh?” he turned to face him “I didn’t do anything. Utsuri confessed because of Keshousun.”  
  
“And Keshousun because of you.” Kagakure raised his eyebrow  
  
“You mean Karasu. She led me by my hand like she said she would.” he shrugged and glanced over at the gambler.  
  
Karasu was standing next to Hanzo, laughing about something, visibly unfazed by everything that just happened.  
  
“Maybe. But even if she pulled the strings, you shone.”  
  
Otome just laughed. “Am I dreaming already?”  
  
Hoshi laughed as well. “You should be. And I should too. Oh geez, I thought I’d fall asleep on that podium!”  
  
“Yeah, same here.”  
  
“You seemed very awake, though”  
  
Otome shrugged in response and led Hoshii out of the Shrine of Judgement. “Let’s just sleep for a while. I assume we’re gonna keep watch this night as well?”  
  
“Sure. It didn’t turn out useful though. Murder still happened.”  
  
“Next time it won’t.”  
  
“Yeah.”  


* * *

  
  
Konan went to the kitchen to eat something. She didn’t get to finish her breakfast because of this whole murder thing.  
  
“Konan~” she heard Karasu’s voice, as she placed pasta on a slice of bread.  
  
“Yuki,” she replied sharply. She didn’t mind being called by her first name - she prefered it that way, actually - but Karasu’s games were annoying.  
  
“Whoa! Pasta and bread?” gambler look above her shoulder. “You sure eat fancy things~”  
  
Konan shrugged in response. She just liked pasta a lot. What could she do about it? Not that she wanted to change it, but still.  
  
“So~” Yuki chirped once she finished preparing her meal “Let’s play some more~!”  
  
The two of them sat at the table in the dining hall. Konan was eating her sandwich and Yuki started shuffling the cards she always had with her for some reason.  
  
“Today we’re gonna play Macao. There are rumours that it’s a game you play with death for your life after you die. You know the rules?” Karasu said once she distributed five cards for each of them and placed one card between them.  
  
“No,” Konan answered, though picked the cards up anyway.  
  
“Whoa! I can’t ignore such crime! Listen closely, my friend, for this will save your life once the Grim Reaper comes for you!”  
  
Konan rolled her eyes with a soft smile. Karasu somehow made her forget about all the bad things, filling her mind only with soft and sweet annoyance.  
  
“Sure.”  


* * *

  
  
Shiki closed herself in her room. When she saw Utsuri being flooded with paints, then crushed alive… she felt her heart breaking. It was like someone literally stabbed her in a chest - she could feel physical pain. And when his lifeless body fell to their feet…  
  
It was the first time ever she was disturbed by the sight of a corpse.  
  
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She wasn’t supposed to feel like this. To care about someone that much as to willing to sacrifice anything for them. To feel those stupid butterflies in a stomach. To smile each time that someone did something cute. Just… not. Not after one day. One fucking day.  
  
It was the time needed to completely break her.  
  
She lied on the floor, not able to reach her bed. If only she was the one to kill Okami… then she wouldn’t have to feel that way. That’s right. If she wasn’t so weak. If she did something, anything, then everything would be alright.  
  
But it turned out to be impossible. When she felt Okami’s bandana around her neck, she just froze. The fear that consumed her was unbearable. Only when she heard footsteps was she able to fight back.  
  
If only Utsuri didn’t save her, then everything would be alright.  
  
Then Okami would be the culprit, then Utsuri would be spotless, safe and sound, and alive.  
  
She didn’t move from her spot on the floor for the rest of the day. She just cried herself to sleep.  


* * *

  
  
Satoshi didn’t know what to do with himself. He was confused. Not scared. Definitely not scared. He was never scared.  
  
Oh man, he thought Why can’t everything just be cute for once?  
  
He was sitting in his room, at his desk. And that was beginning to bore him senseless.  
  
He went to the kitchen, skipping cheerfully on his way. So what if he didn’t feel well? He would never show any kind of weakness. Especially now, that two of them were dead.  
  
In the dining hall, he spotted Karasu and Hataka, playing some kind of card game.  
  
“Heyaaaah~!” he sang, sitting next to the vet.  
  
“Go away,” she said sharply and placed one of the two cards she was holding on top of the pile of cards lying on the table. “Macao.”  
  
“Don’t be mean~” Karasu chirped and placed one of her two cards on the pile. “Macao.”  
  
“You did it again.” Konan hissed and took five cards from another pile of cards lying on the table.  
  
“Oh, did I~?” gambler laughed innocently “Anyway, how are you, Satoshi-kun? You seemed preeeeety shaken up during the trial~” her smile turned into mocking one.  
  
“‘Oh, did I?’ Maybe you’re just seeing things, Karasu-chan?” he said with a smile, though his voice was dripping with malice.  
  
“Why does every cute person turn out to be an asshole?” Konan interjected, seemingly uninterested.  
  
Karasu gasped “D-did you hear that, Satoshi-kun!? Konan just called me cute!”  
  
“I’m pretty sure she meant me~” Satoshi leaned a little to Hataka  
  
“Oh no, Satoshi-kun! I won’t let you steal Konan away!”  
  
“Then what do you think about competition?”  
  
“Let’s play Macao~!”  
  


* * *

  
  
Karisuma and Tobiko stared at Karasu’s lab door.  
  
“Let’s just do it,” she exclaimed, doing the weird motion with her right arm.  
  
They were supposed to clean up Okami’s body, maybe put him in a dumpster or something. Karisuma was sure Karasu wouldn’t do that, she was too much of a child, and he couldn’t ask that of Keshousun either - he saw how broken she was, practically dragging herself to her room.  
  
So he had to do it, though he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do in the first place. He asked Tobiko earlier for opinion, and she volunteered to help him out with just getting rid of a corpse.  
  
“Yeah,” he said, though made no move to open the door. Just memory of Okami’s corpse made him nauseous, not to mention thought about actually touching it.  
  
But he had to. He was the leader, after all. And the leader had to make sacrifices for the good of the group.  
  
“You’re not doing anything.” Tobiko reprimanded him, though made no move to open the door as well. “We have to do this, we have to defeat our weaknesses! You can do this, Ridaku! I believe in you!”  
  
He smiled without much cheer. He could tell Tobiko was trying her best to motivate him, but… it wasn’t that easy. He couldn’t just not have weaknesses just because he thought he didn’t want them.  
  
He reached for the handle with shaking hand and felt Tobiko patting him on his back. He turned the handle and opened the door. Slowly, but surely.  
  
“What the…?” Tobiko muttered once the door was completely opened.  
  
And surely, what they encountered was not what they expected. The room was dark, the bookcases filled to the brim surrounding it, taking almost whole walls, and in the middle of the room chess board with two armchairs facing each other.  
  
No corpses. No blood.  
  
Room was completely clean. Like nothing ever happened.


	12. Chapter 12

Konan watched as Yuki and Satoshi wrestled on their hands, Karasu almost losing, though each time her hand was about to meet the table, she somehow tilted the scale of victory.  
  
Was it because she was the Ultimate Gambler? Or has she become the Ultimate Gambler because of her abilities?  
  
And what about her? Why was she even the Ultimate Vet?  
  
It was true that she knew quite something about veterinary medicine, but only because she helped homeless and stray animals she found. She wasn’t sure how the hell the Ultimate Initiative found her, but that was super suspicious.  
  
Was it the same way with everyone else? Have they become the Ultimates involuntarily? Was it coincidence?  
  
“That’s not fair~!” Satoshi exclaimed when he lost again. “Let’s do something else!”  
  
“Not my fault you’re sooo weak~” Yuki teased with a wide grin “But that settles it! Konan’s mine!”  
  
“In your dreams!” Satoshi stood up “Let’s do something that doesn’t involve any of our talents!”  
  
“Maybe we’ll cook something?” gambler suggested, “It may be surprising, but I’m actually pretty good cook!”  
  
“I just said ‘something that doesn’t involve any of our talents’!” confectioner pouted “But if you want so badly to lose, then I have no choice!”  
  
And as Konan watched the scene unfold before her eyes, she saw that Yuki had the same effect on Satoshi as she had on her. Little confectioner seemed really stressed earlier, but after a gaming session with Yuki, it was like all of his worries melted away.  
  
And she couldn’t help but wonder… if Yuki was always the one to cheer everyone up, was there anyone to cheer Yuki herself?  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Karisuma asked himself, as he paced around in Karasu’s lab.  
  
“It disappeared,” Tobiko muttered, pacing around as well. “But why?”  
  
“Did Monokuma take it?”  
  
“But _why_? And where?”  
  
“Damn it! I don’t know!”  
  
Even though he was glad he didn’t have to watch Okami’s corpse, he wasn’t exactly happy with this situation. The body disappeared. It couldn’t be a good sign.  
  
“What should we do then?” he heard Tobiko’s loud voice.  
  
What should they do, huh? They couldn’t tell others - it was possible it was one of them who’s done this. But at the same time, soon someone would notice. Karasu, for that matter - she spent some time here at night.  
  
And if it wasn’t one of them, then they should definitely tell them. It could be an important clue and Karisuma would hate himself for failing to notice that. And all because of his paranoia.  
  
But who wouldn’t be paranoid if they were in his situation? He woke up in a locker and was forced into the Killing Game. The Killing Game that had started, on top of that.  
  
“Who do you think have done that?” he asked Tobiko, deciding to trust her judgement.  
  
“Eh? Monokuma, maybe? Or…” she trailed off “one of us?”  
  
“And what do you think is more plausible?”  
  
Tobiko scratched her head, hesitant. “Monokuma. I wanna believe in everyone.”  
  
“Very well. Then we will tell everyone at dinner.”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
And when they all [except for Shiki, who was still locked in her room] gathered at dinnertime in the dining hall, they were met with lots of food waiting for them. There were all kinds of pasta, vegetables and other dishes they didn’t exactly recognize.  
  
And in the kitchen, in a middle of the giant mess were Karasu, Satoshi and Konan. Karasu and Satoshi were arguing about something and Konan watched them calmly.  
  
“You said you were a good cook!” Kijime yelled, pointing a fork at Karasu  
  
“I am!” gambler yelled back, before scratching her cheek “Or maybe I lied.”  
  
“Why in the heck would you lie about something like that!?”  
  
“I don’t know! But nothing bad happened, so give me a break!”  
  
“You burnt _pasta_. Freaking pasta!”  
  
“Oh well, whatever! You don’t have to eat it, y’know!”  
  
Satoshi fell quiet. He suddenly felt kinda bad for yelling at Yuki. But she really was a terrible cook, so he just couldn’t help himself. But even though, he had a great time, cooking like that with someone.  
  
“Pfft. Just go eat. I’ll take care of everything here.” he proposed quietly, meaning these words as apologies.  
  
Karasu stayed still for a moment, eying him with an unreadable expression, before smiling cheerfully. “Only if you promise to do the dishes after that~”  
  
Satoshi laughed at that. “Sure, sure, whatever~.” he waved her off with a hand motion.  
  
She skipped cheerfully to the dining hall, Konan trailing behind, to be greeted by everyone already sitting at the table.  
  
“Did you cook this all, Karasu-chan, Hataka-chan?” Fukura asked, smiling kindly.  
  
“I did it all by myself!” Yuki exclaimed, “Konan only watched as I worked hard!”  
  
The vet didn’t even refute, as the two of them sat down at the table and began eating. Soon, Satoshi joined them.  
  
“So, only Keshousun-san is missing…” Karisuma noted, “Maybe that’s for the better, anyway.”  
  
“What the fuck do you mean by that!?” Rika shouted with her mouth full.  
  
“I have some information to share with you all.”  
  
“Information?” Hoshii asked, his eyes lit up with curiosity.  
  
“Okami’s body is missing.”  
  
“A-are you suggesting,” Anko asked timidly “that Keshousun-san took it?”  
  
They all fell quiet, not really expecting that kind of thing. Why would Shiki take it, anyway? Why would anyone take it?  
  
“I thought rather about Monokuma, but your guess is as good as mine.” Karisuma shrugged, feeling uneasy. What if Tobiko was wrong and it was one of them? Did he make a mistake?  
  
“Isn’t it good?” Akurami asked, “We don’t have to deal with it now.”  
  
“You have a point here…” Otome muttered.  
  
Suddenly, Monokuma appeared next to the table. “Upupu~, Keshousun-chan is missing, I see. Welp, her loss. You all did great during the Class Trial, so I have a gift for you!” it placed a key at a table “You have to expand your horizons! Aha! Two more Ultimate Research Labs are officially open! The Ultimate Confectioner’s and the Ultimate Cellist’s!” it disappeared.  
  
Otome, who was the nearest one to the key, took it and eyed suspiciously.  
  
“And?” Hoshii asked after a while  
  
“Seems like a normal key to me. Were there any locked rooms anyway?” he answered, thoughtful.  
  
“I don’t think so. I mean, except for the rest of the Ultimate Labs.” Otori said.  
  
“Maybe it’s the key for another floor?” Fukura asked, “From the outside, it seems like this school has five floors, and the number of the Ultimate Research Labs doesn’t match either.”  
  
“That’s possible,” Karisuma said. “Okay, everyone! After we eat, we split up and search for the passageway to the third floor!”  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Satoshi’s lab was placed on a first floor, next to the dining hall. He entered it, excited to see how it looked like.  
  
And he wasn’t disappointed.  
  
The walls were tiled in white and azure. The furniture was white,  just like he liked it to be. There were all kinds of supplies and ingredients and cabinets were filled to the brim with forms and accessories.  
  
“Whoa~!” he awed, after searching the place thoroughly. There was everything he needed to make anything! He could bake for everyone! There were even some bitter things, so Utsuri-  
  
Ah. There was no Utsuri. No Okami either. He was able to forget about it while playing with Karasu, but now everything came crashing down on him.  
  
He was about to break down in a panic attack when the door opened and he heard a familiar voice.  
  
“Ah! Satoshi-kun!” Akurami called him, entering his lab “This place is so cute~!”  
  
“Isn’t it~?” he asked with a cheerful smile, turning around to face her.  
  
“Can I have a look around?” she didn’t wait for a response, as she started rummaging through cabinets. “Whoa! Amon is proud of this place!”  
  
“Amon?”  
  
“The demon of fertility~!” she exclaimed, visibly passionate “I can tell you all about him! And other demons as well! Wanna hear? Wanna hear?”  
  
“S-sure…” The truth was, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to, but seeing the other girl so passionate left him unable to refuse.  
  
At that moment, Anko entered his lab, ending up victim to Akurami’s passion as well.  



	13. Chapter 13

Otori’s lab was placed on a second floor. It was Victorian styled room, filled with note sheets and all kinds of fiddlesticks. There was only one cello, though.  
  
“Why is that?” asked Otome, who went there with her.  
  
“I don’t like having many instruments. I prefer only one of kind I like the most, and I must say - this is exactly like it,” she answered, picking one of the note sheets up.  
  
“Oh. So, all of the labs are designed the way we like it, huh?”  
  
“We don’t know for sure. Not all labs are opened yet.” she said, eyeing the sheet in her hands “But it certainly seems that way.”  
  
“Huh…” Otome huffed and an awkward silence surrounded them. He struggled to say something to break it, but nothing came to his mind.  
  
Otori seemed like she didn’t care, though. Her gaze was focused on the sheet she was holding, which visibly got all her attention.  
  
Tamari wasn’t into classical music - of course, he could enjoy some good pieces, like ‘Clair de Lune’, but he had never even seen a note sheet before. And, as a photographer, he could notice the beauty in musicians - the way they are completely devoted to music, consumed by it... It was actually one of his favourite subjects, that’s why he decided to come to this lab with Otori.  
  
And he wasn’t disappointed. The room was comfy and pretty, and the way Misaki’s eyes scanned the notes on the sheet just hypnotizing.  
  
If he had his camera with him, he’d take a photo of her right now.  
  
But he hadn’t. So he exited the area, deciding to find the passageway to the third floor.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Finding the hidden staircase proved to be easier than he thought. He just had to knock around the walls - when he heard that noise of room being on the other side, he inspected the wall. There turned out to be taped lock, which was unlockable by the key Monokuma gave them.  
  
The third floor had four Ultimate Research Labs and three empty rooms without windows. The atmosphere of the floor was creepy, the corridor dark and silent.  
  
He was inspecting one of the three empty rooms when he heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw Hoshii standing in the doorframe.  
  
“So, you solved it?” he asked.  
  
Otome shrugged in response “Seems that way.”  
  
“Anything interesting?”  
  
“These rooms. All three of them are identical. And they’re all empty and windowless.” he explained, sitting on the floor to rest.  
  
“I see...“ Kagakure sat down next to him “That’s strange. Why would there be this kind of rooms in a school?”  
  
“I don’t know. But I’m positive I’ll find something here.”  
  
“Well, I believe in you.” Hoshii patted him on the shoulder and stood up “‘m gonna search as well.”  
  
“Hey, Kagakure?”  
  
“Hmm?”  
  
“Wanna talk about before?”  
  
“Before?”  
  
“Before the Killing Game. Before we woke up here.”  
  
“Ah. You wanna know my tragic backstory, huh?” he scratched his neck “I’m afraid it might bore you. But, if you want, I can tell you during our patrolling.”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
And Kagakure was gone. Otome went back to searching the room, filled with determination.  
  
He would search every inch of this school if he had to. And he’d find something.  


* * *

  
  
Akurami didn’t go investigating. She had knowledge in the occult field, but not much aside from that. Back in school she was kinda good in biology, but average in anything else.  
  
She first got into occult when her friend committed suicide back in the middle school. She thought she was haunted by the ghost, so she performed the ritual she found online.  
  
And it worked.  
  
Then, she would read more and more about it, performing rituals before tests, lotteries and stuff like that.  
  
At last, she would perform rituals for money.  
  
But that was rather useless in the Killing Game. Of course, she performed protection ritual last night before going to sleep, but aside from that, there wasn’t much she could do.  
  
So she followed Hanatsuki around. Little botanist, despite being so timid and fearful, was a really interesting person. The two would talk about nothing and everything, biology being one of the hottest topics, since it was something they both were interested in. Though in other aspects, so to say.  
  
“A-Akurami-chan?” she heard Anko calling her. They were outside of the Academy - Hanatsuki researching plants once more and Akurami watching from the nearby bench, talking from time to time.  
  
“Ah, sorry~ I was just thinking about what rituals I could perform with these.” she pointed toward plant with pinnate green leaves and golden, orange, yellow and white blooms with maroon highlights.  
  
“Ah!” Anko’s face lit up “This one is tagetes, it’s really common in North and South America. You see, it is said to deter some common insect pests and nematodes. It’s also commonly used for food colouring!” then she clasped her hand over her mouth “I’m sorry! I’m blabbing, aren’t I?”  
  
“No no no! I like when you say things like that! It’s really interesting! Also, you don’t stutter when you talk about plants~” Rikomu smiled widely.  
  
“I-I…” she started but was interrupted by Akurami’s giggle “Tagetes Lucida is used for making sweet-ish anise-flavoured medicinal tea in Mexico,” she muttered, and Akurami giggled harder.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Otome found a hole in a floor.  
  
There was a small gap between wooden panels in a corner of the room. When he looked through it, he saw black. Well, the only thing illuminating this room was small candle he found near the entrance, so it wasn’t surprising.  
  
He positioned himself on the floor and grabbed the panel to pry it off.  
  
He pulled, pulled and-  
  
Pah!  
  
It came off.  
  
It took him almost 15 seconds to recover from the shock. Yeah, he was hoping it would end like this, but he didn’t expect that.  
  
He picked the candle up and tried illuminating the gap. It was dark and kinda hazy, but he was able to make out an outline of a room. And a small object in the middle of it.  
  
“Kagakure!” he yelled, hoping the other boy was near enough to hear.  
  
And he sure was, as only moments later he was standing in the doorframe, alerted.  
  
“Good, you’re here.” Otome sighed.  
  
“What the hell, mate! I thought something happened.” Kagakure huffed, making his way to the corner of the room in which Otome sat.  
  
“Yeah, well… There’s a room down there. I wanna check it out.”  
  
“You want to go down there…?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Oh, man.” Kagakure sighed but helped nonetheless. Two of them pried off two more panels to make a passageway for Otome, then photographer jumped down, while Kagakure held the candle.  
  
Tamari went to the middle of the room and picked the object up. Then he looked around a little.  
  
The ‘room’ was empty, like the three rooms above, and was covered in dust. It was seemingly abandoned a long time ago. Which was weird, since the Ultimate Academy wasn’t even built yet.  
  
“Get up here, my arm hurts.” he heard Kagakure and decided to comply. There wasn’t anything to investigate, either way.  
  
With Hoshii’s help, he found himself again in one of the three empty rooms, losing balance as he was pulled, getting the two of them to the floor.  
  
“Auch-” he didn’t even have time to feel pain or being surprised, as flashlight he found under the floor fell out of his hand and hit the floor.  
  
**Bam!**  
  
He heard the noise and suddenly-  
  
He remembered.  



	14. Chapter 14

Hope’s Peak Academy. School for those, who have an Ultimate Talent. When you graduate, you are guaranteed to have a successful life. Paradise in its purest form.

But one day, Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista, caused the Tragedy - death of over 2000 students of Hope’s Peak - and undertook the title of the Ultimate  Despair.

The event caused Hope’s Peak Academy to stop existing.

Despair started to disseminate over the world, causing the world order to shake. People started going on the streets, demolishing what was in their reach, trying to end the world in the name of despair.

And the Ultimate Hunt started.

 

* * *

 

 “What the hell!?” Hoshii yelled, not able to move, to breathe, to-

“You remembered that too?” Otome asked, equally shaken.

“Yeah… The world is a mess!”

They recovered a little and started to slowly get up from the floor.

“We have to tell the others!”

“Yeah, let’s gather in the dining hall and-”

**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

There wasn’t monitor in the room, but they heard one from a hallway.

 **“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy”** they heard Monokuma’s voice and exited the room **“It is now 10 p.m. which means it’s officially nighttime. Soon, the door to the dining hall and gym will be closed. Good night, sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite~!”**

And the monitors turned off.

“Guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Otome sighed, rubbing his temples. “How are we  supposed to patrol the school in this state?”

“Hey” he felt Kagakure patting him on the shoulder “Tomorrow’s another day, chill,” he said, though his voice still shook a lot.

The memory-

It was frightening.

The world practically stopped being the world! It was a mess out there!

And all because of one teenage girl.

“C’mon, let’s go patrolling,” Hoshii said softly and all he could do was a nod and follow him outside.

The two of them walked around the school, but it was completely empty. Otome hoped it was because everyone was asleep. Well, it was plausible, since today happened so much.

First, Okami died.

Then, that brutal execution of Utsuri…

Keshousun’s face still lingered in his memory, so full of pain and despair.

He himself was tired after that. And then… that flashlight that somehow triggered him and Kagakure to remember things. Such despair-filling things…

What was even the point of going out if the world was so messed up?

Of course, he wanted to know what happened to his family and friends, but…

He was such a coward. He prefered living here, safe, than risk and try to save his loved ones.

“Oh, men, let’s sit down or I’ll fall down any second now.” Kagakure groaned and the duo sat on the floor next to the school entrance.

“So, world practically ended, huh?” Otome muttered, trying to begin the conversation. He couldn’t stand the silence anymore, it just made him remember things.

“Yeah…” Kagakure’s voice was quiet, so quiet Otome barely heard him “Should we really tell everyone? I mean… what if-”

“I don’t know, mate. I don’t know.” he scratched his head “Let’s just wait and see what happens. Then we’ll decide what to do.”

“Yeah…” the silence surrounded them, making it a lot harder to stay awake. “You said you wanted to know my story?” Kagakure said, trying to focus on something, anything. To just not fall asleep, there and then on the floor.

“I sure did.” Otome answered sleepily “You in the mood for it?”

“Not really, but I feel like I’ll fall asleep any second now if I don’t talk.” they laughed and for a second everything was alright.

“Then I’m listening. How did you become the Ultimate IT Specialist?”

“Didn’t have anything better to do, so just played games at first. Then I started doing other stuff as well and… I kinda got good at that.”

“And that’s all? I expected something dramatic or whatever” Otome laughed kindly, and Kagakure soon followed.

“You have to be lvl 4 friend to unlock my tragic backstory.”

“I see, I see. Then,” he stood up and stretched “you’ll have to wait for my story as well.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

Ridaku awoke to monitor turning on.

**“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. It is now 8 a.m., which means nighttime is officially over! Soon, the door to the dining hall and gym will open. I wish you all bloody and murdery day!”**

He really must’ve been exhausted. Yesterday, he woke up around 6 a.m., like usually. But then again, yesterday was messed up, so he could be tired, couldn’t he?

No. He was the leader. He couldn’t allow himself to have any weaknesses. For the good of the group.

He got up and prepared for the day.

Upon exiting his room, his gaze wandered to Keshousun’s room door. She was still there, wasn’t she?

He walked up to the door and knocked.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m afraid I will not participate in today’s breakfast.” he heard her muffled voice from the room.

“Keshousun-chan. You have to get out of there eventually.”

But he was met with silence.

He sighed “I’ll bring you some food later.” he said before heading to the dining hall.

As it turned out, aside from Shiki, he and Otome were the only ones missing, causing everyone to panic.

“Hanashisuma-chan, can you go get Tamari-kun? Keshousun-chan won’t be joining us today,” he ordered, after assuring everyone he was fine.

“I’m not your slave, you dickhead!” was the reply he got from Rika.

“I’ll go,” Kosuri said and ran off. Everyone started chatting and eating again.

After a short while, Kosuri and Tamari entered the hall, Otome visibly sleepy, rubbing his eyes.

“Sorry, I overslept.” was all he said before sitting next to Kagakure. Everyone seemed to be getting along, which caused Karisuma to smile. Even socially awkward Hanatsuki, childish Karasu and mysterious Nazomu were part of the group.

Tobiko sat next to him “Regret you didn’t see his bed-head.”

He laughed softly. “I think I don’t.”

“He and Kagakure stayed up all night again. They’re really full of determination.”

“Yeah. I hope it won’t be helpful, though.”

“Of course it won’t. Not after we’ve seen what happened to Utsuri.”

“Upupu~” Monokuma appeared next to the table, like the day before “I’m here to announce some veeeery important things! Firstly, new labs are finished! The Ultimate Student Council President’s and the Ultimate Youtuber’s! Though, the latter won’t be open, since Okami-kun died.”

“Why did you bother finishing the lab, then?” Karisuma asked

“Well, in his memory, of course.” Monokuma fake cried, before smiling wickedly “But more importantly, _someone_ found _something_ yesterday and is hiding it from you. This something is the biggest clue found in this Academy yet, so I suggest you find it quickly.”

And it disappeared.

“Did someone really find something?” Tobiko asked, looking at everyone one by one.

Otome felt his heart stopping. He should tell, he should definitely tell-

“We did.” Kagakure said, and Tamari sighed heavily “We found a hidden room under the floor.”

Wait, what?

 


	15. Chapter 15

Kagakure lied.

Well, maybe not exactly lied, but hid the truth.

Otome was about to say something, but his gaze met Hoshii’s.

The other looked frightened.

So Otome just swallowed his morals and went along.

“We found a hole in the floor in one of the empty rooms on the third floor and pried the panels off. There was a room underneath.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Karisuma asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

“The nighttime announcement played off, so we had no way of gathering.” Kagakure saved their skin once again. Or maybe he worsened their situation. They would have to tell the others either way, but… maybe in better circumstances.

“Oh. Should we check it out or…?” Akurami interjected, looking equally excited and uncertain.

“There’s nothing there. Just dust.” Otome answered honestly

“Oh! Maybe it’s haunted?” now Rikomu looked just excited. “I should definitely check it out!”

“Whatever you want.” Hoshii shrugged and they all went back to eat, forgetting about what Monokuma said.

Well, not exactly ‘all’. Otome felt Karasu’s gaze on him the entire time. She knew something. She definitely knew something.

And he was right, for when he finished his meal and exited the dining hall, Yuki followed.

“Otome~” he heard her voice as he was about to exit the school and go to sleep.

“Karasu?” he acted surprised “What’s the matter?”

Yuki smiled sweetly “Are you sure the room was empty?”

He gulped, expecting it, but still not knowing how to respond. “There was dust…” he muttered, but quickly regretted it as she laughed equally sugary as before.

“You know, Otome…” she stepped closer “As a gambler, I’m the perfect liar.” she said, still closing in “And as a liar, I can recognise other liars.” she was now only a few inches apart from him “And I say you are really bad one.” she shoved him in a chest and passed the door he was leaning on.

Otome’s heart has never been faster.

Breath. Breath. Breath.

Something fell to the floor.

A flashlight. _The_ flashlight. The exact same flashlight as the night before. The exact same flashlight Yuki shoved into his chest.

Fuck.

She definitely knew.

  


* * *

 

  
As soon as breakfast ended, Satoshi ran to his Research Lab to bake cupcakes. They would all eat them together and just have fun! After all, today no one died. Maybe tomorrow nobody will die, either!

But that was just wishful thinking, wasn’t it?

Satoshi knew he wanted impossible. Okami proved that to him. Monokuma would always find a way to make them kill each other - he just knew that. But he still just wanted for everybody to be happy.

And even though it seemed impossible, he wouldn’t give up.

Even if all he could do was to bake cupcakes.

“Satoshi-kun?” he heard Fukura’s voice from the doorframe “You ran off so quickly, I was worried!”

“Ah, thanks, Fukura-chan~! I’m just baking cupcakes for everyone!”

“That’s amazing! Maybe I should do something as well? I could sew everyone some cute accessories or something!”

“Yeah! I would love some cute apron! But now,“ he grabbed Oshi’s hand and pulled her in “you can help me with baking~”

Oshi smiled softly “Only if you’ll help me with sewing.”

“Deal”

  


* * *

 

  
Karisuma made some cereal, since it was something easy and commonly liked. So chances that Keshousun would eat it were quite high.

“You want me to come with?” Tobiko asked, standing beside him in the kitchen.

“Didn’t you say earlier you’d like to train today?” he took the bowl and headed out.

“Yeah, but my lab won’t run away. I can do it later,” she argued, following Ridaku.

“If by any chance you’d like to hang out, I’ll meet you at the racecourse. But I feel like this” he nodded at the food “is something I have to do alone.” he smiled gently and opened the school entrance with his elbow.

“Then I’ll wait in my lab. Good luck,” she said before running off toward the racecourse - her Ultimate Research Lab.

Karisuma entered the dormitory and once he found Keshousun’s room, he knocked on her door.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m afraid I won’t be joining you today. I am not feeling well.” came a muffled reply.

“Keshousun-chan? I brought you some food. Could you open the door?”

“I apologize, but I am not in the mood for social interactions. I would appreciate it if you just went away.”

“Then, I’ll leave it here. I hope you’ll get better soon,” he said before placing the bowl on the floor and heading to the racecourse to meet Tobiko.  

The two spent quite a lot time these past two days. Mostly the day before, after Utsuri’s Trial.

Tobiko was a cheerful and hopeful girl full of energy and honesty. They were able to get along pretty quickly, like most of the people here.

“That was quick,” Kosuri commented once he arrived at the racecourse.

“She didn’t want to talk.” he shrugged, sitting down on a bench.

Tobiko went up to him and gave him a timer.

“Once I say so, press the red button. When I run here again, press it again,” she explained and stood at the beginning of the racecourse. “Okay! Let’s go!” she yelled and Karisuma pressed the button. The timer started, and Tobiko ran.

She was super fast, and Karisuma was so in awe, he forgot to press the button again.

“Guess we have to do it again,” he said, laughing softly.

Tobiko snored at that “You thought I was gonna run once? No way, we’re spending at least three hours here. I need to work on my condition.”

“As you please.” he joked and Tobiko ran again.

They spent the day like that.

  


* * *

 

  
There was a knock at Konan’s door.

She put the book she was reading on her desk and opened the door, fully expecting Karasu to be on the other side with a deck of cards.

But she was wrong.

“Nazomu? What are you doing here?” she blurted, not really meaning to be rude. She was just surprised to see the silver-haired boy at her door.

“Ah, just curious… Have you seen Yuki?” he asked, troubled.

“No.,” she said and was about to close the door, but Nazomu’s expression stopped her.

“She said she would play games with you today.” the boy muttered, apparently talking to Konan, though speaking as if he was talking to himself.

“Well, she disappeared after breakfast.”

“I see.” he seemed deep in thought and Konan wondered if closing the door and getting back to the book was unrude enough to do so.

The two stayed in awkward silence for a while.

“Do you think something happened to her?” Konan asked, and Nazomu looked up at her, surprised.

“No…,” he said as if the thought didn’t even cross his mind “I was rather thinking about what is she plotting, but… Do you think so?”

“No.” Konan didn’t even think before saying that.

Of course, something might have happened, but… she didn’t believe it did. Karasu wouldn’t just die like that.

“I see. Well, if you see her, tell her to meet me.” Nazomu said before going off.

“Okay…?” Konan muttered, closing the door.

She picked the book up and sat at her desk, then started reading.

But she just couldn’t focus.

Her thoughts still went back to the scene from before.

So she threw the book at her desk and headed out to search for a gambler as well.

Yuki really was annoying, Konan thought.

  



	16. Chapter 16

Nazomu wasn’t worried.  
  
Not at all.  
  
He was just pissed off.  
  
Disappearing like that, making him search for her… That was so Yuki-like he got pissed off even more.  
  
He looked for a little gambler for about an hour now, checking every fucking inch of the campus.  
  
But Karasu was nowhere to be found.  
  
He was about to search the third floor when he felt something heavy on his back, which caused him to almost lost balance. Almost.  
  
“What the-!?” he was about to yell, but was interrupted  
  
“Hanzoo~ Whatcha doing~?” Karasu chirped, throwing her arms around his neck.  
  
“Looking for you!” he shouted and tried to face the gambler, but to no avail.  
  
“Whoa~! So forward! I’m flattered~” she sang, poking his cheek.  
  
“Where were you, anyway?” he asked, heading toward the basement.  
  
“It’s a secret~!” he sighed and they were silent for a moment “Hey, Hanzo~”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Does name ‘Enoshima Junko’ ring a bell?” she asked in a serious tone.  
  
“Nope. Why are you asking?” but he was met with silence.  
  
“Hey, Hanzo~” he heard again  
  
“What?”  
  
“Can you pick a lock? I wanna show you something.”  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Fukura and Satoshi just finished cleaning up and now were waiting for cupcakes to bake.  
  
They leaned on the counter, arm in arm, and looked at the oven.  
  
“I had a lot of fun!” Oshi said cheerfully “We should do it again sometime”  
  
“You haven’t eaten them yet~!” Satoshi laughed, then checked the timer “Only two minutes left! Then we can decorate them~! That’s the best part, you know!”  
  
Oshi giggled fondly “I’ll take your word on that. Truth be told, I’ve never baked before.”  
  
“No! You’re lying!”  
  
“I’m not!”  
  
“Well, I’ve never sewed before, so I guess we’re even.”  
  
“That’ll change today, though!”  
  
“It sure will.”  
  
After a few moments the timer went off and Satoshi turned the oven off and took out the cupcakes.  
  
“Whoa! It smells amazing!” Fukura shouted, making space on a table  
  
“And tastes even better~” Satoshi joked, placing the plate on the table.  
  
The two started decorating the cupcakes, Satoshi making cat faces and flowers and Oshi scissors and bows.  
  
“Now it has to cool down a little, and done~!”  
  
“Then we can eat it during dinner, right? That’s perfect!”  
  
“Since we’re done here, should we go to your lab now?”  
  
“Yeah! I have a lot of ideas! Let’s go!”  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Otome awoke to the sound of the door opening.  
  
He quickly jumped out of bed, alerted, but still in a sleepy haze. He felt a cold hand against his mouth and was about to scream when he heard a voice.  
  
“Shhhh~” it whispered “You’re still asleep, this is all a dream”  
  
So he closed his eyes, but the cold sensation didn’t disappear. Instead, the room was filled with cheerful laughter.  
  
“Oh, my~! You’re quite bold, to dream about me of all people!” he couldn’t see clearly in a dark, but he could make out outlines of Karasu’s face.  
  
“What are you doing here?” he asked, though the sound got muffled by the hand.  
  
“Just came here to see you~” she sang, and he could’ve sworn he heard footsteps in the background. “So, since I’m satisfied, I’ll be going now! Colourful nightmares~ Otome~” and she was gone.  
  
He sighed, not really sure what had just happened and went back to sleep.  
  
After what felt like a second, he heard a knock on his door, and almost awake he went to open them.  
  
“Hey, um… I think it’s actually time for dinner or something.” Kagakure, who was on the other side, said: “Everyone is gathering in the dining hall and stuff.”  
  
“Sure, lemme just wash real quick,” Otome answered and went to the bathroom, not bothering to close the door.  
  
When he finished, Hoshii was waiting for him at his desk, staring at the ceiling.  
  
“You ready?” Otome asked, pulling Kagakure out of his thoughts.  
  
“Yeah, sure.”  
  
They went to the dining hall in somewhat comfortable silence, both deep in thought.  
  
“I had a weird dream.” Kagakure broke the silence after they entered the dining hall and greeted everyone.  
  
“What kind of dream?” Otome asked, getting himself some cupcakes Satoshi and Fukura baked.  
  
“We were together. Outside. And the world was being slowly built again after Enoshima Junko did her thing. And…” he stopped suddenly  
  
“And?” Tamari asked  
  
“I don’t know. I think Monokuma appeared and told us it was all a lie or something like that. It’s really blurry.”  
  
“I see.” he shrugged “That was just a dream though, wasn’t it? I had a weird dream as well.”  
  
“Huh? What was it about?”  
  
“I dreamt Karasu picked a lock to my room and made fun of me.” they both laughed.  
  
“Mate, I didn’t know you were into childish psychopaths!” Kagakure joked, shoving Otome’s shoulder.  
  
“Hey!” he yelled, though laughing as well.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Karisuma stared at the two empty seats next to him.  
  
He knew Keshousun would need a little more time, and Utsuri and Okami were dead, but…  
  
Karasu and Nazomu?  
  
Why weren’t they here?  
  
They were safe, right? No one died, right?  
  
“They probably are just all lovey-dovey somewhere, chill.” he heard Tobiko’s voice and couldn’t help but laugh.  
  
“Yeah, they could, but…”  
  
“No buts. Just believe in everyone. And eat that damned cupcake. Satoshi and Fukura made them.” she said, shoving him cupcake tray.  
  
He grabbed one and examined it.  
  
It was fluffy and quite big, decorated to look like a cat. He smiled and took a bite. Then another one. And another.  
  
This was the best cupcake he had ever eaten.  
  
“See? I told you they were good.” Tobiko teased, eating a cupcake of her own.  
  
“No, you didn’t,” he answered, smiling widely.  
  
“Whatever. They are, right?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
And like that, they all finished their meal. Then Karisuma left a bowl of cereal at Shiki’s door, and soon the nighttime announcement played.  
  
The first peaceful day at the Ultimate Academy came to an end.


	17. Chapter 17

The next day was full of peace as well.  
  
Otome and Kagakure slept after patrolling.  
  
Yuki played cards with Konan and later chess with Nazomu.  
  
Anko, Akurami, Otori and Rika did a safety ritual Rikomu led.  
  
Satoshi and Fukura continued sewing.  
  
Karisuma and Tobiko finished listing warehouse assortiment.  
  
Shiki was in her room.  
  
And they all were thankful they lived another day in such a peace.  
  
But the peace came crashing down, once they all gathered in the dining hall after morning announcement the next day.  
  
“Upupu~” they all froze as the heard Monokuma’s signature laugh “Since no one died for two days, I’m veeery disappointed. So, I’ll give you some motivation!”  
  
“Motivation?” Tobiko asked, confused  
  
“Yeah! The perfect motivation, I’d say! You see, if by tomorrow’s nighttime announcement no one is dead, all people forced into the Killing Game will get executed!”  
  
They were too shocked to even respond.  
  
“Now then,” it continued “Happy killing everyone!” and it disappeared.  
  
Slowly, they all unfroze from shock.  
  
“W-what does that mean!?” Tobiko shouted, a frustrated scowl on her face.  
  
“Don’t you have ears to hear!?” Rika shouted, not really angry at Tobiko, but rather their situation “We’ll all die tomorrow!”  
  
“It’s funny, Rika-chan,” Karasu laughed without cheer “How now after the killing happened you decided to believe in everyone. Before Okami, you were quite adamant that someone would kill, y’know~”  
  
“Shut up!” she yelled and hung her head “I won’t let anyone kill someone!”  
  
“Anyway,” Karisuma said “For all we know, the time limit could be a scam. So don’t worry - all you have to do is stay alive.”  
  
“Yeah! Monokuma just wanted to scare us!” Akurami agreed “But I can put a curse on him for that!”  
  
“I think there’s no need for that.” Karisuma laughed awkwardly “So, let’s all just enjoy ourselves for a while.”  
  
And they all began to exit the hall.   
  
“Kagakure!” Otome hissed, grabbing Hoshii’s sleeve and waited for when they were alone. The other looked at him invitingly “We should tell the others.”  
  
“Now’s kinda bad time, don’t you think?” Otome's hold tightened  
  
“There’s not gonna be better. Anyway, we don’t have much time and I don’t know what Karasu is planning!”  
  
“Whoa- Karasu?”  
  
“Yeah, I totally forgot to tell ya, but she knows! I don’t know how and when, but she got that flashlight!”  
  
“Oh… Maybe that day when we found it? We were kinda shakened so we weren’t paying attention. She could’ve slipped past us, huh?”  
  
“But why would she do that? That would make sense only if she knew beforehand that something’s there!”  
  
“You have a point… Did she tell you anything?”  
  
“She just made fun of me and shoved me the flashlight in the chest. Nothing useful.”  
  
“I see…” Hoshii seemed deep in thought for a moment “That is bad… Maybe you’re right and we should tell the others…”  
  
“Yeah… I think so…”  
  
“But then again, they would know we lied… Agh! Why is it so complicated!?”  
  
“During dinner,” Otome said and Hoshii couldn’t do anything besides nodding.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
“Hanatsuki-chan!” Rikomu shouted, running up to botanist.  
  
“A-akurami-chan? What’s the matter?”   
  
The two were walking through the courtyard, heading to the forest.  
  
“Just wanted to hang out~” she sang, then clasped her hands together “We should do some fun stuff!”  
  
“A-ah, I was t-thinking about checking if the… the forest is opened already…”  
  
“Booring~!” she whined “But I guess we could do that~”  
  
So they did. They walked up to the forest’s entrance, which turned out closed.  
  
“L-like always…” Anko sighed, disappointed. She came here every day, hoping she could enter the forest and examine the plants present there. But no. It was always closed.  
  
“Welp, nothing to do about it! Let’s go do something else!”  
  
So they walked to the library to read some books. Akurami was reading some kind of mystery novel, though Anko noticed that the other girl hadn’t turned a page for a few minutes. She placed her poetry book on the floor and patted Rikomu’s shoulder.  
  
“Aaah!” she jumped, startled, and as Anko saw those wide eyes staring at her with shock, she felt ashamed of her actions.  
  
“I-I’m so sorry!” she squicked “Y-you were spacing out, and…” she trailed off as she heard Akurami sigh.  
  
“It’s alright…” she muttered. “It’s just…” she was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts “I don’t want anyone to die,” she said finally.  
  
“M-me too…” Anko answered hesitantly. It was normal - not want anyone to die. So why was Akurami acting like that was something wrong…?  
  
“You know… I made my friend commit suicide.”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Konan sighed, as she lost again against Yuki in some kind of weird card game she didn’t understand the rules of.  
  
“Yay~ I won!” the gambler sang cheerfully. And started shuffling the card deck to play again.  
  
Two days before, when she was searching for her, she accidentally witnessed her kicking the wall on the third floor. She was too confused to interfere, but… Yuki seemed very angry, frustrated, distressed and all other bad things.  
  
Just what the hell happened to make her feel this way? Had she discovered anything? If so, why didn’t she tell anyone? Even her?  
  
She thought she had some sort of friendship with the gambler. But maybe she was wrong…?  
  
“Are you even paying attention?” she heard and suddenly, there was a cold sensation on her cheek.  
  
She blinked and saw Karasu nearer than she anticipated, poking her cheek relentlessly.  
  
“What?” she asked, dumbfounded.  
  
“Don’t ‘what’ me! I’ve been calling your name for five minutes!” Yuki pouted childishly.  
  
“No way.” she wasn’t that deep in thought, was she?  
  
“You’re right, I lied~” she laughed, sitting again in her armchair “I called you once, but you completely ignored me!”  
  
The two were in Yuki’s lab, using chess board as gambling table.  
  
“Say, Yuki…” Konan started, serious. “What were you doing two days ago?”  
  
Karasu seemed completely unfazed by the question as she hummed and began setting the cards. “Two days ago, hm? Dunno~”  
  
“What do you mean you don’t know?”  
  
“Exactly what I told you! Geez, I never had you as the jealous type!”  
  
“The day Nazomu searched for you. You disappeared after breakfast.”  
  
“If it’s so important why didn’t you ask me earlier?”  
  
“I saw you, Yuki. I saw you on the third floor.”  
  
Karasu slowly looked up, her face blank. She didn’t even smile, as usual, she just put the cards down and stared the vet directly into the eyes. “Did you, now?”  
  
“I did.”  
  
“Never had you as the stalker type.” she then sighed and leaned back in the armchair “Or something like that.”  
  
They were silent for a moment.  
  
“Does name ‘Junko Enoshima’ ring a bell?” Yuki asked finally, and Konan shook her head in denial. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Otome paced around his room, nervous. He wasn’t even sleepy, just nervous.  
  
He could always go talk with Kagakure, but the other boy probably slept. They were patrolling the school night before as well, after all. He didn’t want to interrupt him.  
  
He thought about what could he do, and the realization hit him.  
  
He hadn’t really talked with anyone besides Hoshii, had he? Since he woke up here, he and the Ultimate IT Specialist were inseparable, so he didn’t really have a chance to do so.  
  
Not that he was complaining or anything! He enjoyed Kagakure’s company, it’s just… At that moment, he felt kind of... lonely…?  
  
The whole group seemed that way, actually. They all divided into small groups and they hardly talked with anyone who wasn’t part of it.  
  
It was kinda sad, now that he thought about it…  
  
He was about to exit his room and just walk around the school when he heard a knock on his door.   
  
“Oh, Kagakure!” he smiled widely upon seeing the other boy on the other side.  
  
“Ah, I just couldn’t sleep so… I decided to wake you up. But you seem awake enough for me.” Hoshii said, walking into the room. “So, since we don’t have anything better to do, how about we try that flashlight one more time?”  
  
“One more time? Why?”  
  
“I’ve been thinking about it, and… What if it triggers more memories? And we just have to use it again?”  
  
“Huh… You might be right, let’s give it a try,” he said and opened his drawer to get the flashlight.  
  
“Huh?”  
  
But the drawer was empty.  
  
  
  
  



	18. Chapter 18

“S-suicide!?” Anko squicked, expecting anything but that.  
  
“Yeah.” Akurami said lowly “Her name was Kyoko and she was a really shitty friend. She would joke about the things I wore, making me feel like shit.  
But that was okay. I was used to it. The real disaster started, when she got a crush. On the same boy as me.  
I was furious and wasn’t really thinking! I went and spread a rumour, making all the kids bully her and stuff.   
It was going for a few months until she hung herself. In my room.”  
  
“That’s-!” Hanatsuki started, but Rikomu wasn’t done yet.  
  
“She left a note, saying how she would haunt me forever, making sure I paid for my crimes. And believe it or not, she did. She haunted me every hecking day until I learnt the protection ritual and performed it.”  
  
Occultist trailed off, starting the uncomfortable silence between the two.  
  
“I-is this… how you became an Ultimate?” Anko asked finally, breaking the silence.  
  
“Yeah, I guess.” the silence surrounded them once again.  
  
“W-why are you telling m-me this?” Hanatsuki questioned, but was met with no reply.  
  
“Because…” Akurami muttered after a long long while “I wanted to share it before I died.”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Konan remembered.  
  
She didn’t know how this happened, but after her exchange with Yuki, she suddenly remembered.  
  
Was this Yuki’s doing? If so, then how? Why? Just-  
  
“And?” she heard Karasu’s voice through the fog in her mind.  
  
“‘And’ what?” she managed to ask.  
  
The world ended. It sounded so simple, and yet… it was stunning. What was the point of this Killing Game then? If it was such a mess outside… They would just be better off staying here, locked and safe.  
  
She didn’t care about people dying. Her only regret was not being able to help all the poor animals that got hurt during the fights on the streets. And much much more. How many people were there, who had done something to their beloved pets just to feel despair? How many-  
  
“And what do you think about it?” Yuki’s voice lacked the usual cheerful note in it.  
  
“The world got consumed by despair. What is there to think?”   
  
And gambler laughed a little. “Fair enough.” she then leaned on the table, somehow intimidating despite her childish looks “I trust you not to spread that info to others. I have different plans for it.”  
  
“Plans?”  
  
“You’ll get it soon enough. You’re smart, after all, ~”   
  
“... I see.”   
  
“So! Let’s play something different now!”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
“It’s gone!” Otome shouted. “It’s freaking gone!”  
  
“What do you mean!? How is that possible!?” Hoshii looked over his shoulder to see empty drawer as well.  
  
“I don’t know! I always lock the door, so no one should be able to come inside!”  
  
“And you sure you didn’t invite anyone here?”  
  
“I didn’t really talk much with anyone besides you.”  
  
They began pacing around the room, thinking.  
  
“It has to be Karasu, right? You told you she knew about that.” Hoshii noted after a while.  
  
“Yeah, but how would she get in here? And when?”  
  
“Maybe during our patrol?”  
  
“Wait.” Otome stopped in his track as a realization hit him. “Remember how I told you I dreamt about Karasu being in my room?”  
  
“Are you saying… it wasn’t a dream?”  
  
“That’s the only thing I can think of.”  
  
“But… how would she get in? Did she steal you key or…?”  
  
“What if she can pick a lock?”  
  
“That’d mean she could do this.”  
  
“That’d also mean we’re fucked.”  
  
“That’s giant underestimation, mate.”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
“Do you really think the time limit is a scam?” Fukura asked, sewing light blue apron on the sewing machine, while Satoshi held the cloth.  
  
“I certainly want it to be.” he joked and Oshi smiled patiently.  
  
“That’s obvious. But that doesn’t answer my question.”  
  
Kijime laughed weakly “Meen, you’re tough! Scam, huh? It could be. But I don’t think it’s a risk we should take.”  
  
Fukura froze and Satoshi regretted not being able to see her expression. “Are you saying we should kill someone?”  
  
“Huh? N-no, just that we shouldn’t just brush it off, that’s all!” he stuttered, taken aback by Oshi’s behaviour. Though it’s only natural to be so negative about killing, he supposed.  
  
“I see. Well, I agree with you. But not brushing it off will lead to killing. And brushing it off might lead to our death. Monokuma really has us in check, doesn’t he?”  
  
“Then what should we do?”  
  
Fukura turned to him with a soft smile “If by the end of tomorrow day no one will be dead…” she tilted her head “I want you to kill me.”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Rika was reading some random book from the library in Otori’s Research Lab. It was comfy and warm, so it was basically her favourite place in this school.  
  
Otori herself was here as well, playing some calm, sad melody on a cello.  
  
They were sitting in Victorian style armchairs, between them a coffee table. It was silent and comfortable, the two not saying a word, just enjoying themselves.  
  
The book turned out to be a shitty romance story, which pissed Rika off with every next word she read.  
  
After finishing the fourth chapter, she forcefully shut the book, sighing infantilely. The action caused Otori to cease her playing.  
  
“Hanashisuma-san?” she asked, confused.  
  
“Don’t mind me! Just reading some really shitty book.”   
  
Misaki gently placed the cello on the floor and walked up to Rika “Can I see it?”  
  
Linguist passed the book without a word and watched as Otori read the description. After a moment, the girl’s brows furrowed a little.  
  
“I take it you’re not going to continue it?” she asked, not looking Rika in the eyes.  
  
“Uh… Why do you even care?” linguist puffed.  
  
Otori laughed gently “I happened to read this book in the past, you know. It starts off as ‘shitty romance’, but it’s not really romance at all. It gets a lot darker later on.” she placed the book on the table and got back to her cello.  
  
Rika could only watch dumbfounded as Otori sat in the armchair, closed her eyes and continued playing.  
  
Well, maybe she would continue it, she thought as she grabbed the book once more.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Later on, they all [except for Shiki, who still got food left at the door by Karisuma] met up in the dining hall to eat dinner.  
  
Otome was waiting at the entrance, and when Yuki cheerfully skipped her way in, he grabbed her sleeve and pulled her to the hallway.  
  
“Whoa~! I’m being assaulted~!” she yelled, though her voice and face told everyone passing them that was a lie.  
  
“Did you break into my room and stole the flashlight?” he asked, still gripping Karasu’s sleeve.  
  
“What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you didn’t even keep it safe! You’re not that stupid, are you?” she flooded him with questions with a serious expression and low voice.   
  
“I know you did it. I saw you in my room!”  
  
“Are you sure it wasn’t just a dream? You sure sleep a lot. And don’t tell me you leave your room unlocked! That’d be way too stupid!” her voice was still serious, but with a little cheerful note at the end.  
  
“I don’t. But you can pick a lock.”   
  
Karasu flinched, her eyes wide. She tilted her head, taken aback.  
  
“What on Earth gave you that idea?”  
  
And Otome didn’t have any arguments left.


	19. Chapter 19

Eating dinner was awkward.  
  
No one dared to bring up the time limit, but it was hanging heavily above them, waiting to crush them mercilessly.  
  
“So, how did y’all spent today’s day?” Tobiko asked, trying to make a small talk to reduce the awkwardness at least a little.  
  
“I checked my Lab out.” started Karisuma, when no one replied the question “It’s designed just like I expected it. Normal, plain student council room.”  
  
“I was playing card games with Konan~!” Karasu shouted cheerfully.  
  
Rika pouted, visibly angry at something, but didn’t say anything.  
  
“I practised the cello.” Otori shrugged with a smile “I must say, my Lab is equipped with the note sheets I like the most.”  
  
“Maybe you could play something for all of us?” Akurami asked, somewhat excited.  
  
“Yeah! That’s actually a great idea!” Tobiko agreed.  
  
“I hate to agree with musclehead, but it is a good idea,” Rika muttered.  
  
“Hey! Who do you call musclehead!?” athlete leaned over the table.  
  
“You, obviously! You stupid, idiot ball of muscles!”   
  
Otori cleared her throat, making Tobiko and Rika shut up. “Maybe I could do some kind of concert for you guys? For example, tomorrow after breakfast?”  
  
“Yay~!” Karasu cheered raising her hands to her chest.  
  
“‘Yay~!’ times two!” Satoshi cheered as well.  
  
“Yay times three, I guess?” Akurami continued.  
  
“Then it’s settled. Maybe we could use the gym? It’s spacy and acoustic.” Ridaku said, looking at Otori.  
  
“Sure. I’m fine with whatever,” she answered with a soft smile.  
  
“The gym tomorrow after breakfast that is.”  
  
After dinner, they all went their separate ways. Anko, Akurami, Rika and Otori went to their dorm rooms together.  
  
“So, I wish you all good night,” Otori said and was about to go off.  
  
“Let’s all have some rest.” Akurami almost whispered, “It’s our last night, after all.”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Otori awoke about half an hour before the morning announcement. That was normal for her, she usually woke up early to practise the cello before going to school.  
  
And in the Killing Game, she just couldn’t let Monokuma tell her when she had to sleep and when not. There was no guarantee the announcements were on accurate hours after all.  
  
She exited the room to prepare for the concert.  
  
She went straight to her Lab and started picking note sheets she wanted to use today. There were many beautiful pieces, but they didn’t have time for that. There was no telling if they would be alive by tomorrow.  
  
 _ **Ding~dong~ding~dong~**_  
  
She hesitated between two especially good ones when monitors turned on.  
  
 **“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy.”** Monokuma said, holding a glass of drink **“It is now 8 a.m. which means nighttime is officially over. Soon, door to the dining hall and gym will open. Now then, if you don’t want it to be your last morning announcement you better kill someone today!”**  
  
And monitors turned off.  
  
Otori sighed and grabbed note sheets she would be using, cello and two different fiddlesticks and headed to the dining hall.  
  
When she got there, most of them were already preparing their meal, silent and nervous.   
  
“Otori-san!” Karisuma called and rushed to her side to help her carry her equipment.  
  
“Thank you, Ridaku-san,” she answered, though didn’t let him touch her cello. She learnt earlier in her life, not to lent her instruments to other people - especially those who don’t know how to treat them. Too many of her cellos ended up broken because of that.  
  
They placed the things on the floor and sat at the table.  
  
Soon, thirteen out of fourteen seats were taken and they all began eating and chatting cheerlessly.  
  
Later, they all went to the gym to start the concert. Karisuma and Satoshi even managed to convince Shiki to come, since it was their last day in the Ultimate Academy.   
  
Otori put a CD with accompaniment in the CD player found in the A/V room, sat in the chair and glanced around the gym.  
  
Rika and Tobiko sat at the other ends of the group, athlete next to Karisuma. Hoshii and Otome whispered something to each other, and Konan was helping Hanzo get Yuki off his back. Near them, Anko, Akurami, Satoshi, Fukura and Shiki sat still, politely smiling.   
  
Otori could see uncertainty in all of them and didn’t even bother holding a sigh as she closed her eyes and began playing.  
  
Ever since she was a child she knew music had something amazing in it. It could manipulate your emotions and mind in ways beyond imagination. Especially classical music, as she found later on.   
  
After she finished the song she opened her eyes to see everyone appear much calmer and more content than before. They all cheered and she played again.   
  
They didn’t notice as minutes blended into hours.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
“Otori-chan’s music is sooooo pretty~!” Karasu chirped, walking down the hallway. Hanzo and Konan followed her, silent. “It just got me sooo relaxed and stuff~!”  
  
“Where are we going anyway?” Hanzo asked, completely ignoring her previous statement.   
  
“Well, we’re gonna watch some movies before we die, obviously~!”  
  
“You seem pretty relaxed for a person that’s about to die,” Konan commented, though without any anger or malice.  
  
“It’s because of Otori-chan’s music, duuuh~~!” she sang and started skipping cheerfully.  
  
“Could it be…“ Hanzo started, thoughtful “You don’t believe in the time limit?”  
  
“The time limit?” Karasu stopped suddenly “I completely forgot about that!”   
  
“No way!” Nazomu shoved her in the head and she pouted.  
  
“Stop shaming me!” she yelled, then laughed cheerfully “Anyway, I obviously believe it~! But that doesn’t mean I believe it’s gonna do anything to us!”  
  
“What do you mean?” Konan interjected.  
  
“Who knows?” she then started humming one of Otori’s songs, telling them the conversation is over.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
During dinner, they didn’t say a word. They didn’t eat much at all. The perspective of being executed in a few hours did its job.   
  
They all just sat there, almost lifelessly, not bothering to talk.  
  
After a while Karasu skipped her way out without cleaning after herself, Konan and Hanzo following her. That triggered everyone to go their separate ways.  
  
Akurami, not wanting to be alone, followed Anko, the two quickly joining Rika, Otori, Tobiko and Fukura in the dormitory hall.  
  
“I almost want the nighttime to come. Just not to feel so uncertain!” Akurami whined, holding her hands in silent prayer.  
  
“This stupid fucking stuffed bear!” Rika groaned, kicking the wall.  
  
“Hanashisuma!” Tobiko yelled.  
  
“Shut up! I’m just-”  
  
“We’re all scared,” Otori said calmly. “And if it makes you feel better I have no right to stop you. Neither does Kosuri-san.”  
  
“I’m not-!” Rika started, but then trailed off “Whatever.” and she sat down on the stairs.  
  
They spent their time just being together, reassuring each other that everything would be fine. Even when no one believed so.  
  
“I’m kinda hungry… I didn’t eat anything during dinner.” Tobiko said. “Anyone want to grab a bite?”  
  
“It’s almost nighttime, you musclehead!” Rika shouted, though stood up to follow Kosuri.  
  
“If we’re fast enough we’ll be able to grab something before the announcement! And I’m really really fast! So? One last meal?”  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Otome and Hoshii sat together on the bed in Otome’s room. They tried talking about things, but in the end, they were too scared to hold a conversation.  
  
So they just sat in silence, almost dozing off.  
  
 _ **Ding~dong~ding~dong~**_  
  
Otome froze in fear, suddenly awake. Whatever Monokuma was going to announce, wasn’t a good sign. Either one of them died, or they are all going to die.  
  
He felt a hand on his own and his gaze flickered to Hoshii, who was sitting beside him, looking equally scared.  
  
He grabbed his hand as well.  
  
 **“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. It is now 10 p.m., which means it’s officially- Ah. Oh. Change of plans, kiddos. A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the Class Trial will begin.”**


	20. Chapter 20

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!”  
  
Akurami’s piercing scream echoed through the school. The other girls visibly paled, on a verge of screaming as well.  
  
On top of the table lied Ridaku, their leader. His chest was covered in red stains, which Anko assumed were blood. Aside from that, no evidence. No murder weapon. No culprit nearby.  
  
Soon, the rest of them gathered in the dining hall.  
  
“What the fuck!?”  
  
“How!? Why!?”  
  
Yells like that filled the hall.  
  
“Which of you!?” Tobiko groaned, her head hung low “Which one of you did it!? I’ll fucking kill you!” she started yelling, each sentence less sane than previous one.  
  
“Chill, musclehead! Jesus Christ!” Rika choked, her hands trembling. The killing happened again. The killing happened again. That thought was repeating in her head, making it hurt.  
  
Then, Monokuma appeared. “Upupu~! Seems like something interesting finally happened! You’re so lucky, you’re not gonna die, huh? Well, whatever! The Killing Game can continue! Now then, I present to you the one and only Monokuma File~! See you at the Class Trial!” and it was gone.  
  
Once again, Otome was the first one to move, taking out his Monopod and checking the Monokuma File.  
  
**The victim is Ridaku Karisuma, the Ultimate Student Council President. The time of death is 9:40 p.m. The cause of death is multiple lacerations in the chest.**  
  
He remembered the previous case and waited for Karisuma to order them around, but then… Yeah… Karisuma was the victim of this case. Their leader. Low blow, wasn’t it?  
  
“Keshousun-san, could you-?” he started, but Shiki wasn’t here. Was she in her room? If so, why didn’t she come out when she heard the announcement? “Hataka-san, could you check the body?” he asked instead, but the vet was already at the table.  
  
Otome couldn’t help but sigh. He was relieved he wasn’t going to die, but…  
  
“What to do?” he heard Hoshii muttering beside him.  
  
“I’m gonna go get everyone’s alibi. Wanna go with me?” he asked. They both needed company. Now that they didn’t have the leader, that was all they could hope for. Especially since the killer was one of them. Otome knew it was neither him nor Hoshii, so he could trust the other boy, but what about the others? How to distinguish lies from the truth?  
  
“Sure.”  
  
When he turned around, he saw that basically everyone started investigating. The only ones present in the dining hall were Konan, Fukura, Akurami, Anko and Hoshii and himself.  
  
“We were together,“ started Fukura “with Otori-chan, Kosuri-chan, Hanashisuma-chan, Akurami-chan and Hanatsuki-chan. We chatted sitting on the dormitory stairs. Then, Kosuri-chan said she was hungry and we all went to the dining hall. And… we saw Ridaku-kun…”  
  
“That’s when the body discovery announcement went off, right?” Otome asked.  
  
“Yeah. And everyone started gathering here.”  
  
He thanked her and went away.  
  
“I-I’m sorting t-through trash again… huh… I-isn’t it funny?” Anko said as he approached her. Sure enough, she was rummaging in the trash can.  
  
“Ah! That’s alright! I mean, it helped last time, so…” he trailed off “Found anything?”  
  
“N-not yet- h-huh?” she froze “I-I…” still in shock, she reached her hand deeper and took out… a knife. The bloody knife. Literally in the trash can.  
  
“It’s the murder weapon, isn’t it?” Hoshii said, raising his hand to his chin in thought.  
  
“Why was it in the trash can? Is the culprit so confident?” Otome asked, feeling warm anger swelling inside his chest. They were all fighting to survive and someone… One of them… played like that with the rest!?  
  
“T-there’s a note here.” Anko stuttered, unfolding a piece of paper, which was wrapped around the handle of the knife. “H-huh? Is this… an r-riddle?”  
  
  
Sure enough, on the piece of paper were scribbled letters in a weird order, locked in some kind of labyrinth.  
  
At the sight, Otome’s anger increased.  
  
  
The culprit was literally playing with them. How confident they were to leave an actual riddle behind!?  
  
“Is there anything else?” Hoshii asked, looking at the trash can.  
  
“I-I’ll check… and tell if I-I find a-anything…” Anko answered, abashed.  
  
“So, what now?” Kagakure aimed his question at Otome, who was still clenching his fists, even though he didn’t remember doing so.  
  
“We have an actual murder weapon. The knife probably comes from the kitchen, so let’s check it out.”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
In the kitchen, Satoshi and Otori were rummaging through the cupboards.  
  
“Satoshi-kun? Otori-chan? Did you find anything?” Otome asked.  
  
“Ah, kinda?” Kijime turned to face them, frown on his face. “One of the knives is missing. We’re trying to find it.” he pointed to a wooden hanger with four out of five knives hanging from it.  
  
“Don’t bother. Hanatsuki already found it in the trash can.” Hoshii said, shrugging.  
  
“So it’s the murder weapon, right?” Otori interjected, ceasing her search.  
  
“Probably. Anyway, I need you to tell me what were you doing during the time of death.” Otome smiled patiently at the two.  
  
“I was with Hanatsuki-san, Hanashisuma-san, Kosuri-san, Akurami-san and Fukura-san in the dormitory hall,” Otori answered without hesitation.  
  
“I don’t really have a good alibi. I was alone in my Lab. But I didn’t do this!” Satoshi panicked a little.  
  
“We’ll find out during the Class Trial, now’s not the time for an accusation.” Otome assured the confectioner and exited the area, Hoshii trailing behind.  
  
“So what now?” he heard Kagakure asking as he absently noticed Shiki near the body, talking with Konan.  
  
“We should check the places he could have been before his death. His room and his Research Lab should do.”

* * *

  
  
  
Going to the Ultimate Student Council President’s Research Lab turned out to be bull’s eye.  
  
The place was demolished. Chairs knocked on the floor, files from the shelves all around the room. It was almost as if a hurricane came through. And in the middle of it stood Karasu and Hanzo, looking at the files.  
  
“What happened in here?” Hoshii muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.  
  
Karasu ignored him, reading one of the files with a deep frown. Hanzo, on the other hand, sighed tiredly and replied “I believe a struggle happened here. My theory is that the culprit surprised Ridaku here, then the latter ran away to the dining hall, where he was killed.”  
  
“Why are you so sure he was killed there?” Otome asked  
  
“I’m not. That’s just a theory.”  
  
“I see. Well, I’ve gotta ask you for your alibis then.”  
  
“I, Yuki and Konan were in the A/V room.”  
  
“You were together all the time, yes? No one went to the bathroom or whatever?”  
  
“Geez, I dunno. I don’t think so. I mean, Yuki complained how she wanted to eat tiramisu or whatever, but I don’t think she went anywhere.” he turned to the gambler, who was now covering her mouth with her palm, still looking at the file. “Did ya?”  
  
Karasu didn’t seem to hear him. He turned again to Otome and shrugged.  
  
“What are these?” Hoshi pointed at the files, Yuki’s behaviour alarming him.  
  
Nazomu shrugged in response. “Some student files. I don’t know a single one of them, though Yuki seems to believe there might be some clue there. So she got me to sort through them.”  
  
“Did you find anything?”  
  
“Well… all of them had an Ultimate Talent, but aside from that… I don’t think they are linked anyhow.”  
  
“I see. Now then, we’ll be going to investigate some other places.”  
  
And Kagakure and Tamari went to Karisuma’s room. To their surprise, it was open. The place looked exactly like theirs, the only difference being outfits in the closet and the desk being covered by files matching the ones from his Lab.  
  
Tobiko and Rika were there, Tobiko sitting on the bed and Rika rummaging through the files.  
  
“Hanashisuma-chan? Kosuri-chan?” Otome called, entering the room.  
  
Rika turned to them with an angry scowl on her face. “The fucker had our files,” she said.  
  
“O-our files?” Otome stuttered.  
  
“You deaf or something!? That’s what I said! Our files. There’s one for each of us. Well, except for Nazomu guy.” she explained, throwing one of the files at him.  
  
It was Karasu’s.  
  
“What about it?” he asked, confused. Everything was legit, right? There was her photo, her personal data, height, weight… He couldn’t tell exactly how much she weighed, but it was around 105 pounds, like the file said, right?  
  
“Look at the class she’s assigned to, you dickhead.”  
  
He obeyed. It was the 43rd class of the Ultimate Academy.  
  
Rika then threw another file at him. It was his own.  
  
The 44th class of the Ultimate Academy.  
  
“Huh? What does that mean?” he asked, looking up at Rika.  
  
“I don’t know what does that mean, but… Bitch-asu is the only one from the fifteen of us with a different class.”


	21. Class Trial 2

“Fifteen?” Otome asked, not sure if he didn’t notice something or if Rika was the one that was wrong.  
  
“I don’t count Nazomu guy since his file is missing.” she shrugged.  
  
“Ah, right. Then… who is she…? Why is the class different?”  
  
“It could be a typo, y’know…” Hoshii interjected.  
  
“Right… we don’t have time for this anyway. If we don’t find the culprit, we’re all dead.” Otome muttered, causing Tobiko to twitch in anger “Let’s check on Hataka and Keshousun.” he said to Hoshii and they both headed to the dining hall.  
  
Konan and Shiki were still there, talking about something next to Karisuma’s body.  
  
“Hey, Hataka, Keshousun. Got anything?” Hoshii asked, approaching the two.  
  
“Not much,” Konan said. “Besides confirming what’s in the Monokuma File, the only clue I found is that he probably died here.”  
  
“Here? You mean, like that? On the table?”  
  
Vet nodded, a little irritated. “Aside from the lacerations, there are no visible injuries. And the blood surrounding the body says that it wasn’t moved.”  
  
“I-I see.” he scratched his head.  
  
“Can you two tell me your alibis on the time of death?” Otome interjected.  
  
Konan shrugged. “I was with Yuki and Nazomu in A/V room.”  
  
“I was alone in my room, so I’m afraid I do not have an alibi,” Shiki added.  
  
_**Ding~dong~ding~dong~**_  
  
Otome was about to say something, but the sound of monitors turning on interrupted him.  
  
**“I believe you had enough time for investigation, so let’s begin the Class Trial already!”** Monokuma shouted, **“Like the last time, please proceed to the Shrine of Judgement.”**  
  
So they had no choice but to go.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
It went exactly like the last time. They arrived at the Shrine of Judgement and the waterfall stopped flowing. Then, they took a really long ride with elevator and entered the Trial Ground.  
  
It looked almost exactly like the last time, too. But this time, on three out of sixteen podiums were photos.  
  
Three. That’s how many of them died. And they were about to execute another one.  
  
They took the same platforms as before.  
  
[Class Trial: Insession]  
  
“Now then~! Let’s begin with a basic explanation of the Class Trial! During the trial, you’ll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for ‘whodunnit’. Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person… I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy! Also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone! Now, let’s get this crazy, awesome, crazy-awesome trial underway!” Monokuma said exact same lines as the last time.  
  
“Should we start with Rika-chan accusing Karasu-chan again?” Akurami joked hesitantly.  
  
“Maybe I should accuse you instead, you stupid cunt!?” Rika shouted, folding her arms at her chest.  
  
“Just admit it already!” Tobiko interjected, “Which one of you did it!?”  
  
But she was met with silence.  
  
“Maybe we’ll start with the murder weapon? This time we know what it was.” Otome suggested, raising his hand a little.  
  
“Ah, right! Hanatsuki-chan found it again, am I right?” Fukura asked, excited.  
  
“I-it was a k-kitchen knife…” Anko stuttered, keeping her head down.  
  
“Satoshi-kun and I can confirm that. One knife out of the kitchen’s knives set was missing.” Otori noted.  
  
“That also affirms what the Monokuma File says.” Fukura agreed “That the cause of death was multiple lacerations in the chest. That’s something that can be done with a kitchen knife.”  
  
“But that doesn't tell us anything about who the culprit is!” Tobiko was clenching her fists tightly. Otome could see from across the room how her knuckles became more and more white. “C’mon! Just admit it already!”  
  
“Ah! But we do have a clue pointing toward the culprit, don’t we?” Hoshii shouted, looking expectantly at Otome.  
  
“Right, the riddle that was attached to the knife. Hanatsuki-chan? Do you have it with you?” he asked.  
  
Anko pulled out a small piece of paper from her skirt pocket.  
  
“The riddle? Can I see it?” Karasu interjected, looking intrigued.  
  
Anko gave the piece of paper to Akurami, who passed it to Nazomu, who handed it to Karasu. Gambler unfolded it and stared for a moment, before frowning deeply.  
  
“Let’s leave it for now.” she said, serious like never before “It could be useful later.”  
  
“No way! Give it to me!” Rika shouted, reaching her hand to her right, through Utsuri’s podium.  
  
“Chill, you stupid whore~! I’m just gonna keep it, for now~” Yuki sang cheerfully like always, but it had a malicious note to it.  
  
“Anyway” Otome cleared his throat “Maybe let’s talk about everyone’s alibi?”  
  
“You asked everyone about that, you dickhead. Is your memory really that bad!?” Rika growled, still angry at Karasu.  
  
“Maybe you’ll go over them once more, mate?” Hoshii suggested softly.  
  
“S-sure.” Otome agreed “So, Kagakure and I were in my room. We never split up, so none of us could be the culprit. Then Fukura, Otori, Hanatsuki, Kosuri, Hanashisuma and Akurami were in the dormitory hall. Nazomu, Karasu and Hataka were in the A/V room. And then Keshousun and Satoshi, who don’t have an alibi. Satoshi was in his Research Lab and Keshousun in her room. We don’t know where Ridaku was before he died.”  
  
“So the culprit is Satoshi-kun or Keshousun-chan?” Fukura asked  
  
“Not necessarily.” Otori argued “Remember, the previous case had an accomplice. We can’t rule out this possibility by narrowing the list of suspects to people who were alone.”  
  
“You have a point.” Hoshii said, “So basically, the only ones with a solid alibi are Fukura, Otori, Hanatsuki, Kosuri, Hanashisuma and Akurami, huh?”  
  
“Seems that way.” Nazomu nodded.  
  
“But hey, not exactly~!” Karasu chirped “Those who were in their dorm rooms have, too! Since those six would notice if someone exited their room, right?”  
  
“So Tamari-kun, Kagakure-kun and Keshousun-chan are safe, then?” Fukura asked  
  
“Not quite,” Rika interjected. “We never saw them entering their rooms, so how do we know they were there in the first place?”  
  
“I and Kagakure have each other’s word on that.” Otome tried arguing.  
  
“Well, your word is bullshit, so suck it and shut up.” Rika folded her arms on her chest, pouting.  
  
“A-anyway...” Anko stuttered, trying to stop the conflict.  
  
“Let’s go over the events of the case and then catch the culprit!” Akurami cheered and Anko sighed with relief.  
  
“First, we have to determine how did Ridaku end up in the dining hall,” Otori said, looking at Otome.  
  
“Um…” he stuttered, not knowing how to respond to that. “H-Hataka-san?”  
  
“He got there before his death. So my guess is that he went there himself.” vet answered sharply.  
  
“How do we know that?” Rika asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.  
  
“Ridaku-san wasn’t moved after death, considering the state of the pool of blood around him,” Konan answered not even looking at Rika.  
  
“So the culprit lured Ridaku to the dining hall, then pushed him at the table and stabbed him multiple times?” Hoshii asked  
  
“That’s not right!” Otome shouted “And you know that, Kagakure. You listened to Hataka’s account as well. Hataka-san? He wasn’t pushed at the table, was he?”  
  
“He wasn’t.” vet shrugged “There weren’t any injuries on him besides the lacerations, so I believe he didn’t struggle at all.”  
  
“But doesn’t that contradicts the state of his Lab?” Hoshii argued, “That was clear evidence of a struggle.”  
  
“I don’t know about that. But as I said, there were no other injuries, so he couldn’t have struggled. The room must’ve been messed with by the culprit.” Konan explained.  
  
“That’s just a theory, but…” Akurami started “Since he didn’t struggle at all, and his Lab was in such state… Is it safe to assume he did it himself?”  
  
“You mean, he devastated his Lab?” Rika asked  
  
“Yeah…” she nodded  
  
“I guess that could’ve happened. So what if?” Hoshii frowned.  
  
“What if he committed suicide?” 


	22. Class Trial 2

“No way!” Tobiko shouted, much louder than Akurami, causing everyone to flinch “He would never do something like that!”  
  
“Besides,” Otome said “that’s not possible. He wouldn’t have a way of disposing of the murder weapon.”  
  
“Y-yeah, I guess I was wrong.” Akurami nodded slowly.  
  
“That’s alright, you touched a really good question there.” he smiled at her  
  
“What do you mean?” Tobiko asked  
  
“If he demolished his Lab himself. What could that mean?” he hinted and took a moment to think about that himself.  
  
If Karisuma demolished his Lab himself, what would that mean?  
  
Why would he do that in the first place? He seemed rather tame, not the type to go and demolish stuff without a reason. So why would he do that?  
  
“M-maybe he was a-afraid…? T-to die?” Anko suggested  
  
“That would be god damn ironic!” Rika shouted, managing to smile a little.  
  
“Is being afraid a reason to do something like that?” Akurami asked  
  
“What if he was just frustrated?” Hoshii hinted “He seemed pretty adamant about keeping us all save or whatever.”  
  
“With time limit approaching, our lonely protagonist gave in to his frustrations, demolishing his Lab before he threw his life away for the good of all~ Isn’t it dramatic?” Karasu whispered theatrically.   
  
“Shut up! Y-you don’t have evidence that he did it!” Tobiko yelled  
  
“Wait, that’s actually pretty good.” Otome raised his hand to his mouth, feeling like the truth was just out of their grasp. Just a little…  
  
“‘Pretty good’!? You heard yourself!?” Kosuri with each sentence sounded more and more desperate.  
  
“I-I’m sorry, that’s not what I-”  
  
“Not what you meant!? Then why did you say that!?”  
  
“I-I meant that… it’s a good theory…“  
  
“Good theory!? That Ridaku did something as low as killing himself!? You offend me more and more with each word you say, Tamari!”  
  
“He didn’t technically kill himself...” Fukura said “That’d be impossible, right? I think it’s rather that he let someone kill him...”  
  
“That’d make him the biggest coward in the history of cowards!” Rika shouted “If he did that, he made someone carry the burden of killing someone and gave them a death sentence. The shittiest leader ever!”  
  
“Hey! Watch your mouth!” Tobiko gripped her podium’s fence forcefully “He did his best! He… always thought about the others before he thought about himself… he really did his best, so…” Tobiko trailed off, hanging her head “I WON’T ACCEPT THAT!” tears started flowing down her cheeks and she made no move to wipe them off.  
  
No one dared say anything for a moment.  
  
“Um… No matter if he let that happen or not, we still need to find the culprit.” Akurami finally broke the silence.  
  
“That’s right.” Otome agreed “But… how do we do that?”  
  
“Let’s go over everyone’s alibi once more,” Karasu suggested with a grin  
  
“H-huh?” he gasped “Okay. So, Kagakure and I were in my dorm room, Karasu, Nazomu and Hataka in the A/V room, Fukura, Kosuri, Hanashisuma, Otori, Akurami and Hanatsuki in the dormitory hall, Satoshi in his Lab and Keshousun in her room…”  
  
“Let’s assume, just for a moment, that all of it is true. Who’s the culprit?”  
  
“Um… it has to be someone who was in the school, so…” he stopped himself from saying Karasu’s name as an example. If her testimony was true, she wouldn’t be able to do so. Or… she would, but only if Nazomu and Hataka lied, so that didn’t count.  
  
He went through the alibis once more in his head.  
  
And realization hit him “Satoshi?”   
  
He looked at the boy, who was standing in his platform, visibly relaxed, looking straight back at him with a blank face. Otome didn’t even notice that confectioner didn’t say a word during this Class Trial at all.   
  
“Ding~ding~ding~!” Karasu sang  
  
“You killed him!?” Tobiko groaned lowly but was met with no response.  
  
“How did you know that?” Hoshii asked, looking at Yuki  
  
Gambler shrugged, then took out the riddle from earlier. “The answer to this is literally ‘culprit is Satoshi’, y’know.” she laughed shortly “I didn’t trust it at first, so I kept quiet, but after talking this case through, it seems like the only logical explanation, so here you go. The culprit is Satoshi-kun.”  
  
Otome furrowed his brows at that. The riddle, huh? It still unsettled him. What was the point of the riddle? If Satoshi didn’t leave it, he could’ve got away with murder.   
  
Wait. Maybe that’s the point.  
  
Maybe Satoshi wanted them to catch him.  
  
“And you?” Hoshii turned to Otome.  
  
“Assuming that all the alibis are true, only people who were alone could do that. And if Keshousun left her room, those six would notice her. So that leaves only Satoshi.” photographer explained.   
  
Everyone turned to face Kijime.   
  
But he only stood there, his expression unreadable.  
  
“Well? Did you kill him!?” Tobiko asked impatiently but was met with no response.  
  
“Satoshi-kun?” Otori tried, but to no avail.  
  
One by one they tried, but Satoshi never responded.  
  
“We want to believe in you! So just say something!” Fukura shouted, her eyes welling with tears “Defend yourself!”  
  
“Yeah!” Rika agreed “Just freaking argue with us! Tell us you’re not the culprit!”  
  
“Satoshi!” Hoshii yelled.  
  
But confectioner didn’t say anything.  
  
It went for about a few minutes before Otome snapped.  
  
“I’m gonna go through this case from the beginning. If you don’t confess after that, we’re just gonna vote for you.”  
  
[Closing Argument: start]  
  
This case has its roots in yesterday’s morning when Monokuma announced a motive. This motive was the time limit. If by the end of it killing didn’t happen, we all would get punished. And so, the victim thought of a plan.  
  
With the time limit approaching, all of us were scared. Including Ridaku Karisuma, the victim of this case. He wanted to give away his life, so the rest of us could live. But he didn’t want to die. So when the nighttime kept closing and closing, he gave in to his frustrations. That’s why the Ultimate Student Council President’s Research Lab was demolished.  
  
Somewhere along the line, Ridaku met up with the culprit and convinced them to kill him.   
  
The two went to the dining hall to prepare the crime. Ridaku lied on the table, as the culprit went to the kitchen to get one of the kitchen knives. That was the murder weapon.  
  
Once again in the dining hall, the culprit stabbed Ridaku multiple times in the chest. That was around 9:40 p.m. - the time of death.  
  
After taking Ridaku’s life, the culprit threw the knife away. But before that, he prepared a riddle. You see, the culprit wanted us to catch him. That’s why he left so many clues behind. With both the riddle and the knife in the trash can, the culprit exited the area.  
  
Meanwhile, Otori, Fukura, Hanatsuki, Akurami, Kosuri and Hanashisuma were in the dormitory hall. Around 9:55 p.m. they decided to head to the kitchen after Kosuri suggested that.  
  
They never expected to find a corpse. But that’s what they found. And so, the body discovery announcement played off, causing everyone to gather. Including the culprit.  
  
That’s the truth of this case. And the culprit is Satoshi Kijime, the Ultimate Confectioner!  
  
[Closing Argument: end]  
  
“NO!” Tobiko shouted “How many times do I have to tell y’all!? Ridaku didn’t let this happen! He didn’t want this to happen! He would never-!”  
  
“Tamari-kun’s right.” Satoshi shrugged. “For the most part.”  
  
“F-for the most part?” Otome asked  
  
“Doesn’t really matter now, does it? I’m the culprit. End of the story.”  
  
“No! That’s not the ‘end of the story’!” Fukura interjected, on a verge of falling in tears “Please, Satoshi-kun…” she trailed off “Please… Tell us what happened…”  
  
Satoshi hesitated. “It was like Tamari-kun said. Ridaku-kun asked me to kill him. And I did.”  
  
“N-no!” Fukura shook her head violently “You’d never do such a thing! It has to be a mistake!”  
  
Satoshi smiled. He smiled so warmly, Fukura wasn’t able to hold her tears anymore. “I did this, Fukura-chan. I killed him.”  
  
“A-are you serious?” Tobiko growled “D-did you really- Did you really kill him!?” her fists once again were clenched tightly at her sides.   
  
Satoshi nodded.  
  
“I’ll fucking kill-!” she was about to jump off her platform and run to Satoshi, but-  
  
“Now then!” Monokuma interjected “I believe you’re done, so let’s vote already!” panels appeared before them, like last time “The same rules like last time apply! If you don’t vote, you get punished!”  
  
And they one by one tapped the panel, casting a vote.  
  
Then, the giant monitor slid from the ceiling, presenting photos of each of them. Under Satoshi’s photo, yellow column expanded, as a number next to it increased. 7. 10. 12. And it stopped.  
  
Then, a number next to Karisuma’s photo increased to 1 in accompaniment of Fukura’s sobs.  
  
“Upupu!” Monokuma laughed its brand laugh “You got that right second time in a row! What a luck!” it laughed again.  
  
But no one laughed along.  
  
“Now then,” it continued “I prepared a very special punishment for Satoshi Kijime, the Ultimate Confectioner!” the red button appeared before Monokuma “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIME!” it shouted, hitting the button with a hammer that appeared out of nowhere.  
  
Satoshi didn’t struggle as he got taken somewhere by the metal hand.   
  
The rest of them watched in terror as he appeared on the giant monitor.   
  
He was in some kind of bowl, flooding in a ivory, sticky cream. Then, a giant mixer hand slowly lowered itself to the bowl, buzzing as it rotated.  
  
Soon, the ivory cream got stained by crimson.  
  
[Class Trial: end]


	23. How did it happen?

**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

 

Satoshi awoke slowly to the sound of monitor turning on.

 

 **“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy.”** he heard Monokuma and buried his face in his pillow **“It is now 8 a.m. which means nighttime is officially over. Soon, door to the dining hall and gym will open. Now then, if you don’t want it to be your last morning announcement you better kill someone today!”**

 

Ah, right. The time limit. His dreams were so sweet and nice he completely forgot about that.

 

Meeting with the reality was harsh.

 

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to sleep some more, but the painful knot in his stomach didn’t let him. Now that he awoke, he was just too scared to go back to sleep.

 

So he lifted himself from his bed and prepared for the day. _Their last day_ , he thought and the knot tightened.

 

As he exited his room, he imagined variety of gruesome crime scenes he could encounter. It wasn’t like he didn’t believe in his classmates not to kill anyone, but then again… he kinda did. Especially now, since their lives were on the line.

 

Would someone act? Would someone die? The clock was ticking. There wasn’t much time left. What if something happened already? What if he’d be the third person to witness the body? What if he would end up as the body to discover? He didn’t want to die. He really, truly didn’t want to die. And at the same time he didn’t want _anyone_ to die. He just wanted to have a good time with everyone. So what if they were imprisoned? They could just adapt and… live peacefully, eating sweets he’d bake and play Karasu’s card games.

 

But it wasn’t that easy, was it? Reality wasn’t sweet like his dreams. That’s why he hated reality. He hated everything about it! Every inch! Every drop of despair!

 

Why couldn’t everything just be sweet?

 

As he entered the dining hall, the grimm atmosphere drained him from any hope he had left.

 

Only few people actually touched their food. Karasu of course being one of them. Satoshi kinda felt connected with the girl. They both put on cheerful facade for everyone, but now, as he watched gambler skipping her way out of the dining hall he couldn’t help but wonder… how did she manage it? Was it something more than just a facade? If so, how wicked Karasu had to be to enjoy herself in the Killing Game?

 

But the thoughts quickly left him, as they all gathered in the gym for Otori’s concert.

 

He was about to sit down on the floor, when Karisuma walked up to him.

 

“Hey, um… I wanted to ask you a favor.” the boy said, visibly tired and stressed. Satoshi found himself being sympathetic with him. He felt the same way, and he didn’t have thirteen people look up to him as if he had answers to their questions.

 

“What is it?” he asked innocently, hoping Ridaku had some kind of genius plan to end this nightmare.

 

“I wanted to invite Keshousun-san to the concert, but I’m afraid I’m not charismatic enough on my own. Would you like to give me a hand?”

 

Satoshi quickly gulped down the feeling of disappointment. Karisuma had a point there, though left unspoken. Shiki seemed really shaken by Utsuri’s death and none of them knew what was she capable of. And given her Ultimate Talent they had reasons to be afraid. “Sure thing~” he sang as cheerfully as he could manage and followed the other boy to the dormitory.

 

“I noticed you didn’t eat breakfast today…” Karisuma said softly on their way.

 

Kijime shrugged in response. “Only few of us _did_.”

 

“Yeah, but… It’s kind of embarrassing, but I expected you to be one of those few.”

 

“Huh? Why is that?”

 

“You always seem perfectly fine, like nothing ever affects you. It’s this kind of thing that shows others that everything is fine, even if it’s not. Something I’m not capable of. It’s kind of similar with Karasu-san, though she gives off some unsettling vibes, don’t you agree?”

 

“I’m flattered you think that way~ Though I’m not as strong as you make me out to be. Karasu-chan probably isn’t either. And, by the way… You’re really hard on yourself, y’know. You’re a good leader, so I think it’s alright to be _not alright_. I think everyone will understand.”

 

“Satoshi-kun… I appreciate your words, but… I think the perfect leader is capable of making giant sacrifices for the good of group. And I should be able to do so, too. But I’m not. The fear just overwhelms me and…”

 

“Weren’t you the one that told us to just stay alive? Why don’t we just stick to that and see how it plays off?”

  


* * *

 

  


Once they explained their situation to Shiki, who was really sharp and quick to catch on, it wasn’t hard to convince her to come. She opened the door and exited her room, looking like nothing ever happened - calm, elegant and polite.

 

“I do believe it is best to live the rest of our lives as merrily as we can.” she said, leading the way to the gym. And she had a point, Satoshi thought, because if they were about to die either way, why don’t make their remaining time as sweet as it can be?

 

Once again in the gym, they took the seats on the floor and waited for Otori to start.

 

“I’ve never been to concert before.” Fukura, who was sitting next to him, whispered softly.

 

“Me neither.” he whispered back, somewhat fondly, but his thoughts wandered to the day before. ‘ _I want you to kill me_ ’, Fukura said, but how could she expect something like that from him? He would never do something like that, as long as he had a choice. Especially to Oshi.

 

He found himself liking the girl, though she seemed kinda weird. He never could predict her. One second she’s cheerful and laughing and the next second she’s timid and self-conscious. But then again, maybe that was why he liked her. Because of her unpredictability.

 

They all quieted down, as Otori put the CD in the CD player and sat down at the chair. Soon, soft and beautiful music was played and Satoshi closed his eyes and let himself be consumed by it.

 

For a moment, he could pretend that everything was alright.

  


* * *

 

  


During dinner no one said a word. Satoshi sat still, letting the silence consume him. He didn’t even bother making himself a meal - he was sure he wouldn’t eat anything.

 

With the time limit closing in, it was like their hope and cheer was being drained from them. Even Rika, Tobiko and Yuki were quiet, losing their usual noisiness.

 

The only sound that was audible in the hall was Karasu’s repetitive clank of spoon hitting the bowl as she ate her cereal.

 

The sound soon ended, as Karasu finished her meal and skipped her way out of the dining hall, not bothering to clean up.

 

That was totally understandable, Satoshi thought, it was their last meal, either way. They’d be dead in a few hours.

 

And the knot he felt the entire day tightened again. Slowly but surely panic swelled up inside him. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t-

 

Without thinking about it, he exited the area with everyone, then walked aimlessly through the school.

 

He probably should do something else, something more fun or whatever, but he couldn’t. He fell victim to his own thoughts, just walking and walking, thinking about despair he was feeling. The fear he was feeling.

 

Then, he heard a noise. It was short *thud*, like something fell to the floor somewhere. Satoshi hardly registered it at all, continuing his walk.

 

But after a few steps, he heard it again, this time a lot clearer.

 

Then again.

 

And again.

 

He followed the sound, and almost couldn’t believe his eyes, as he stood in the front of the Ultimate Student Council President’s Ultimate Research Lab.

 

Inside, Karisuma was hitting and kicking everything in his reach, crying loudly, his face in utter despair.

 

“H-hey!” Satoshi shouted, not really knowing what to do.

 

Ridaku froze suddenly and turned to face Kijime. “S-Satoshi-kun…” he mumbled, looking somewhat like a deer in headlights.

 

“What are you doing?” Satoshi wanted to ask softly, but it sounded hoarse and accusing.

 

“I-I’m sorry, I just- I can’t! I just can’t!” tears were falling down Karisuma’s face and he didn’t bother wiping them off, clenching his fists at his sides.

 

“You can’t what?” he asked, but he knew perfectly. He felt the same way, after all.

 

“I failed everyone! I couldn’t even protect them! Even now, I can’t- I can’t bring myself to kill anyone! To sacrifice anyone!”

 

Satoshi didn’t even notice that he took a few steps back. ‘There’s no need for something like that’, he wanted to say, but he knew well enough it wasn’t truth.

 

“Kill me.” he offered, even though every cell in his body screamed ‘NO!’.

 

Karisuma seemed thrown off upon hearing that. The boy just stood there, not saying anything for a few minutes.

 

Then, he smiled gently, as if he finally achieved the peace of mind. “I can’t do that, Satoshi-kun. I-I’m the worst leader possible, aren’t I? But I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror if I did that. You said this morning that you aren’t strong, but… You’re a lot stronger than me, so… could you please, kill me? I believe you’re able to carry the burden.”

 

And Satoshi felt anger swelling up inside him. No, he wasn’t that strong, no, he didn’t want to die or kill or even harm anyone-

 

He just wanted everything to be sweet and cheerful.

 

And if everyone died, that wouldn’t be possible.

 

Somehow, that realization calmed him down. Seeing Karisuma’s desperation, he could feel it as well. The want to save everyone, to make everyone happy. To make everything sweet for them.

 

“You’re a coward.” he whispered, glaring at the leader.

 

“I am.” the other answered with confidence.

 

“I don’t want to kill you.”

 

“And I don’t want to die.”

 

“Then let’s just…”

 

“Then we’ll all end up dead in a few hours.”

 

“I don’t think I’m able to do so.”

 

“I believe in you.”

 

“I-I’m scared.”

 

“I’m scared as well.”

 

“Y-you said it was leader who had to make sacrifices.”

 

“And I’ll sacrifice my life.”

 

“Y-you’re asking me to sacrifice mine as well!”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Satoshi released a painful cry. Being sorry wouldn't change anything. Being sorry wouldn’t make him strong enough to face this situation. Being sorry wouldn’t lead them to happy ending.

 

But in this Academy, there was no happiness. That’s what Satoshi realized in that moment.

 

“O-okay…”

  


* * *

 

  


Karisuma lied on the table, smiling without a cheer. Satoshi stood next to him, silent tears staining the floor. He tightened his grip on the knife.

 

“I’m sorry.” Ridaku said softly and Kijime cried harder. “I’m sorry.” he repeated, as confectioner raised his arms above his head.

 

“I’m sorry.” Satoshi answered, bringing the knife down, stabbing Karisuma. Leader gasped and whined a little and Satoshi felt pang of panic inside him. “I’m sorry!” he continued at the top of his lungs as he stabbed him again and again and again and again until he couldn’t take this anymore and just sat on the floor, crying loudly.

 

H-he had done it…! He saved everyone!

 

But he couldn’t even breathe, no matter how hard he tried. He inhaled and inhaled but no air came to his lungs. He just couldn’t-!

 

And then, a single drop of blood fell to the floor, making Satoshi crawl away from it, finally breathing again.

 

Now he just had to leave enough clues for everyone to figure out what happened.

 

Then, he’d just give in to his punishment and everyone would be alive.

 

If they were alive, they could make everything sweet again, couldn’t they?

 

If that was true, Satoshi was glad to give his life away.


	24. Chapter 24

Otome felt his energy fleeting away as he slowly calmed down on his way out of the Trial Ground.

 

What hour was it anyway? The only way of telling were Monokuma’s announcements and the sky. And it was way past the nighttime announcement.

 

“Guess we’ll have to pass tonight’s patrolling.” he heard Hoshii next to him.

 

“We can pass it tomorrow night as well. And the next one. And all the next ones. No matter what we do, killing still happens. There’s no point in patrolling.” 

 

“Mate, mate, don’t say things like that. At least we’re doing something to stop it. Doesn’t it matter?”

 

“As long as it’s effectless, it’s meaningless as well.”

 

“Well, I can’t disagree with that, but… I can’t agree as well. We can’t give in to Monokuma that easily. We can find a way out and-”

 

“Four of us died. Do you really think we have any chance of stopping this Killing Game!?”

 

“Yes. Yes, I do. There’s always chance.”

 

Otome didn’t respond to that. The words made him feel guilty for even considering giving up, but… It was so hard to still have hope after all these deaths…

 

“Goodnight.” Hoshii said, patting him in the shoulder before disappearing into his dorm room.

 

Otome didn’t even bother changing from his uniform - he just threw himself onto the bed and soon drifted off into dreamless, restless sleep.

 

**_Ding~dong~ding~dong~_ **

 

For a moment, he thought he just imagined this, but no. The monitor really turned on.  _ Too soon _ , he thought,  _ way too soon. _

 

**“Rise and shine, kiddos! It is now 8 a.m., which means nighttime is officially over. Soon, door to the dining hall and the gym will open.”** he heard Monokuma, but didn’t even bother opening his eyes to look at the monitor. His eyelids were way too heavy for that.  **“Get ready to welcome another beautiful day at the Ultimate Academy! There’s a surprise waiting for y’all when you gather in the dining hall, so you better hurry!”**

 

And the monitor turned off.

 

Otome yawned, but got out of the bed nonetheless. No matter how sleepy he was, he couldn’t make everyone wait and worry.

 

As he dragged himself to the dining hall, he finally noticed how hungry he was. Well, that was understandable - he hadn’t eaten anything the day before aside from a sandwich during breakfast. That was a lot less than he usually ate.

 

When he got to the dining hall, he was greeted by the sight he honestly didn’t expect. Everyone seemed sleepy and tired, but they actually ate and chatted among each other. He even heard a laugh! Quite amazed, he sat down next to Hoshii, who was talking about something with Akurami.

 

“Oh, hey mate.” Kagakure greeted him.

 

“Hey… What’s going on? Why is everyone so-” 

 

“Not-depressed?” Akurami finished for him, snickering a little.

 

“You could use other word, but yeah…” he scratched his neck. 

 

“Well…” Hoshii started “It’s hard to say, but… I think Satoshi and Ridaku sacrificed themselves so we could live and defeat this Killing Game. And I think everyone thinks this way too. Of course, we’re all sad because of it, but… They wouldn’t want it, would they?”

 

“Yeah… I think you’re right…”

 

“Kosuri-chan’s holding herself quite well, though Fukura-chan…” Akurami trailed off “When anyone tries to talk to her, she starts screaming something about bullying and wanting her to die as well…”

 

Otome threw a glance in Oshi’s direction. The girl seemed perfectly fine, eating her salad with a thoughtful expression. He wouldn’t guess she was unstable or anything.

 

“Maybe she just needs time…” he muttered, not sure himself.

 

Moment later, Shiki entered the dining hall, took Karisuma’s seat next to Tobiko and served herself a tea from a kettle present at the table.

 

But before she could even take a sip from her cup, Monokuma appeared, laughing his brand laugh.

 

“Upupu~!” it swirled around “You did great at the last Class Trial, so I have some rewards for you!” it took out a key like last time “You know what to do with this one~ Now then, three Ultimate Research Labs opened! Ultimate Linguist’s, Ultimate Photographer’s and Ultimate Botanist’s!” it threw its arms into the air “But that’s not all!” it took out a flashlight and Otome’s heart stopped beating for a moment “Since the last Flashback Light got wasted like that, I decided to throw a public show of memories!” 

 

But before it could turn the flashlight on, it got taken out of Monokuma’s grasp.

 

“I’ll take that~!” Karasu chirped cheerfully and ran out of the dining hall.

 

“Well, I guess that’s an interesting turn of events either…” Monokuma muttered “Expect a new motive tomorrow then!” it shouted and disappeared.

 

“F-flashback light?” Akurami stuttered “Memories? Wasted?”

 

“What the fuck was that bear talking about!?” Rika yelled.

 

“S-should w-we… c-chase after K-Karasu-chan?” Anko asked timidly.

 

“No.” Nazomu answered forcefully.

 

“Why the fuck would you say something like that!?” Linguist leaned over the table “I don’t care if she’s your girlfriend or whatever! She’s hiding something! We can’t just let it go!”

 

“Do whatever you want then.” Hanzo shrugged and continued eating his pizza. “I would be more concerned about newly opened Labs and a new floor than some prankster tricking us all.”

 

“Then… what should we do?” Akurami asked, making everyone fall quiet.

 

Right. There was no Karisuma to tell them they just had to stay alive. No Satoshi to bake the cupcakes to cheer them up either. They had to do this alone. They had to defeat the Killing Game alone.

 

“I’ll investigate the new floor.” Otome said, grabbing the key Monokuma left.

 

“I’ll go with him.” Kagakure offered, standing up.

 

“I’ll check Hanatsuki-chan’s Lab.” Akurami said

 

“I-I’ll go with A-Akurami-san.” Anko stuttered.

 

“I’ll check out my Lab, of course!” Rika exclaimed

 

“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Otori said with a smile.

 

“I’ll go check Hanashisuma’s Lab as well.” Tobiko added

 

“Oh no, you won’t, musclehead!” Rika argued

 

“Watch me.” Kosuri stood up from her seat.

 

“I will investigate Tamari-kun’s Lab, if you give me permission.” Shiki looked expectantly at Otome.

 

“Sure, go ahead.” he said with a shrug. “And you, Fukura-chan? Nazomu-kun? Hataka-san?”

 

“I’ll check everything.” Nazomu answered.

 

“I’ll talk with Yuki, then check everything.” Konan added

 

“Fukura-chan?” Akurami asked

 

“Shut up! I’ll go with Keshousun-chan! Just leave me alone!” she yelled, though with her head hanging low.

 

And everyone went their way.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Konan knocked at Yuki’s door twice. 

 

But there was no reply. She didn’t even hear any movement inside.

 

She knocked again. “Yuki?” 

 

After a while the door cracked open.

 

Gambler grinned widely “It’s you~! You should’ve said so earlier! What’s the matter?”

 

“You took that flashlight and ran off. It’s… unsettling.”

 

“Oh. Don’t worry, I think we’re all better off without those flashlights either way.”

 

“That doesn’t change the fact that others are anxious. You seriously want to antagonize them?”

 

“Ooooh~ Are you worried?”

 

Konan only sighed in response. “Whatever. I’m leaving.” she was about to go off, but-

 

“Wait-!” she heard Yuki yelling. 

 

“What?”

 

“Do you wanna use it?”

 

“The Flashback Light?”

 

“Wasn’t all that talk about it?” Yuki raised a brow.

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don’t really care.”

 

“Perfect.” Gambler smiled widely and flashed something directly into Konan’s eyes.

 

And then she remembered.


	25. Chapter 25

The Ultimate Hunt.

 

Those who didn’t have an Ultimate Talent hunted down those who had.

 

The bloody slaughter in the name of despair.

 

Ultimates hid where they could, fought back, but it didn’t stop the despair. One by one, Ultimates were hunted and executed.

 

Then, sixteen Ultimates abandoned their Ultimate Talents to live. They erased the memory of everything that connected them to their past as Ultimates.

 

But despair couldn’t be avoided like that.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Otome’s Lab was placed in the basement. It was a giant room with grey and brown walls. One of the walls was completely covered by a case filled with cameras, lens, photo albums and tripods. Other one was covered with backgrounds for photos and all sorts of lamps. Then, near the third wall was whole stand for photography. There was hanger for background, platform and next to it a desk with a computer.

 

“It is equipped as well as all the others, don’t you agree?” Shiki asked, as she looked through the photo albums.

 

“W-What if I disagree? You’re holding me verbally hostage here.” Fukura stuttered, walking up to Shiki and looking at the album from above her arm.

 

“Do you disagree then?” Keshousun raised her brows and glanced at Oshi

 

“I didn’t say that.”

 

Shiki sighed and closed the photo album. “Listen, Fukura-san. I understand you are upset after Satoshi-san’s execution. Just like I was after Utsuri-kun’s. But I do believe they both did what they did to make us all smile, not pout. That would be cruel to deny granting their last wish, don’t you think?”

 

“How can you expect me to smile after that!? They both were super ultra selfish if they really thought what they did would make us happy!”

 

“I felt the same way. That was why I could not look any of you in the face after the first Class Trial. But I understood, that there is no point in grieving so hard. They must remain in our memory and lead us to the shining future, not drag us down into despair.”

 

“B-but…” 

 

“I know it is hard. But that’s the only way of getting over their death.”

 

Fukura sighed deeply. “I guess you’re right. I-I’ll try.”

 

“Good.” Shiki walked up to the computer and turned it on.

 

“Thank you, Keshousun-chan.”

 

Shiki just smiled in response.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“That’s what I was fucking thinking about!” Rika shouted, entering her Lab on the second floor.

 

It was stuffed with a lots of books, mainly about cultures, genesis of languages and language learning. It looked kinda like the library. In the furthest corner of the room there was a desk with a chair and a desk lamp on it. 

 

“That’s pretty boring.” Tobiko commented.

 

“No wonder you’re the musclehead. I’ve always wanted to have so many books about languages!” Rika exclaimed, visibly excited.

 

“That’s surprisingly nerdy coming from you.” Otori interjected “I feel like I’m warming up to you a little.”

 

“A little!? Your freaking face told me something different when you were talking about that book I’m reading.” Hanashisuma’s words were lacking their usual malice.

 

Otori laughed softly. “The book is really good, though.”

 

“It kinda is. Good I didn’t throw it away back then.” Rika hummed.

 

Tobiko watched the spectacle unfold before her and couldn’t help but gawk. Is Otori really patient enough to deal with Rika? That’d be a lot of patience to have. Like, a lot.

 

“Let’s look through some of these.” athlete suggested pointing toward one of the bookstands. They’d need to look really hard for clues. But they’ll do it. They’ll defeat the Killing Game!

  
  


* * *

  
  


Akurami and Anko found the Ultimate Botanist’s Research Lab in the forest Anko checked every day. The whole thing turned out to be said Lab.

 

It was a giant area, surrounded by a fence, full of all kinds of plants. Somewhere in the middle of it all, there was a one-floor building, which turned out to be some kind of laboratory. It was all white inside, like, really white, and it was full of microscopes, plants, books and tools Akurami had never seen before.

 

“Whoa-!” Anko gasped upon entering the building “I-it perfect! I-I’ll be able to do all kinds o-of things here!”

 

“It’s really impressive~!” Akurami agreed, smiling fondly at Anko’s enthusiasm. 

 

“I-I could examine t-those plants R-Ridaku-san asked me t-to, and-!” suddenly, Anko’s face fell. “I-I completely forgot… O-oh my… I-I’m so sorry, Akurami-chan, I-”

 

“That’s alright, geez~!” Akurami waved her hand “It’s not like I was close with either Satoshi-kun or Ridaku-kun. I’m disturbed by what happened, of course, but I’m not mourning or anything like that.” 

 

“T-that’s… s-surprisingly good to hear…” Anko muttered, covering her face with her hand. 

 

Akurami laughed at that. “That’s so cute~!” she yelled, but that only caused Anko to cover herself more.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Finding a hidden passageway turned out to be equally easy as the last time. Otome knocked around a little, then revealed the hidden lock. The last step was to unlock it with the key from Monokuma. 

 

Suspiciously easy, he thought. 

 

He climbed up the stairs, Kagakure trailing behind.

 

The fourth floor was extremely different from the rest of the school. At the first glance, it looked normal. Just a hallway with a bunch of doors. But the thing is, there were no doors. Just door frames. The walls were all red and grey, with a lot of neons hanging around. And instead of classrooms, there were all kinds of machines. Specifically, gaming or gambling machines. This whole floor was a casino.

 

“What the-” Otome muttered, but was interrupted by Hoshii tugging his sleeve.

 

“Check this out.” Kagakure said, looking somewhere to the right. Tamari followed his gaze and noticed the most colorful and blinding room he had ever seen. 

 

Above the door frame, there was flashing neon saying ‘First Prize’.

 

“Let’s go there.” Otome said and the two entered the room.

 

“Oh.” he heard Kagakure gasping next to him. He couldn’t blame him, though - his reaction was similar.

 

In the room, there was only one machine. It looked like the most typical, most cliche gambling machine you could imagine. Above it, there was neon hanging from the ceiling, saying ‘1st Prize - the Flashback Light’. 

 

The two just stood there, frozen. 

 

“Upupu~!” they heard Monokuma’s brand laugh and turned around to find it standing just behind them. 

 

“M-Monokuma!” Kagakure gawked.

 

“The one and only!” it said, throwing its hands in the air “Now then, you’re probably curious about this cute little MonoMono Machine behind you.”

 

“MonoMono Machine? What the fuck?” 

 

“Since our dear friend, Karasu Yuki-chan decided to sabotage y’all by hiding the Flashback Lights, I decided to be ironic. You get the joke behind this room~?”

 

Otome did. Freaking casino as the way to antagonize the Ultimate freaking Gambler. He felt his fists clenching at his sides and he sighed shakily. Now wasn’t the time to get angry at Monokuma’s games. They needed to investigate.

 

“Whatever, we don’t have a time for this.” he hissed and moved to exit the room. They needed to check the whole floor before trying this machine.

 

“Ooooooh?” Monokuma tilted its head “Well, do whatever you want.” it pirouetted a few times “I can’t wait ‘till that little prick sees that!” and it disappeared.

 

Otome and Hoshii looked at each other.

 

“What do we do?” Kagakure asked.

 

Otome thought for a second. “I hate to admit that, but I think we should try this. Monokuma said it’s purely to antagonize Karasu, but there’s a Flashback Light to win and we need to find as many Flashback Lights as we can. Then we’ll know how to escape.”

 

“Are you sure there’s a way to escape, besides winning this Killing Game, to begin with?”

 

“I don’t know. But I’m gonna search either way. We can’t lose hope.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

So they played the MonoMono Machine.


	26. Chapter 26

The computer in Otome’s Lab didn’t have any clues. Shiki turned it on hoping there would be an Internet connection or at least the date and time, but no. There were none of the above. Just some kind of photo editing program starting with the OS. Said OS was weird either, not even remotely like any Shiki had seen before. Not that she had a lot of experience with computers, no. But she knew the basics.

 

She sighed, leaning back in the chair she was sitting on.

 

“W-what are you sighing for?” she heard Fukura’s nervous voice.

 

The other girl stood in front of the case, going through photo albums.

 

“I apologize for disturbing you.” Shiki muttered, not really paying attention to Oshi. She was more occupied with the secrets of this school. There must’ve been something, anything, they could do to escape. But for now those ‘Flashback Lights’ Monokuma mentioned were their only lead.

 

That frustrated her, though she was burying those feeling deep inside. She had to think clearly. Otherwise, she’s doomed. They all are. 

 

Now that Ridaku was dead, there was no telling what was about to happen. Before, most of them were passively letting him lead, and now? Now they didn’t know what to do. On top of that there was that motive Monokuma was going to announce tomorrow.

 

What would it be about? Who would fall victim to it?

 

Someone would, right? The last motive was the time limit, which targeted someone willing to sacrifice themselves for the group. Ridaku and Satoshi. What about the others? What would make them kill? And what about herself? What would make  _ her _ kill?

 

Back during the first Class Trial she was about to let everyone die - including herself - just for Utsuri to live. Now that she wasn’t so desperate she probably wouldn’t do something like that, but what if she gets this feeling again? Would she kill everyone to protect someone?

 

No. She wouldn’t. Utsuri was special, the situation was special. Everything just piled up - her growing affection, the fact that they were imprisoned, the death of one of them… These circumstances wouldn’t occur again. She wouldn’t let them.

 

“Whatever.” Fukura brought her back to reality. “J-just so you know, you can tell me what’s bothering you. N-not that I want to hear it, or anything! It’s just…”

 

“It’s nothing.” she interrupted the other girl. “But I appreciate the gesture nonetheless.”

 

“So… you found anything?” Oshi asked, closing the photo album she was holding and putting it back on the case.

 

“No, I’m afraid not.” Shiki answered, standing up. “I don’t think I am capable of getting any informations out of this computer.”

 

“What about Kagakure-kun? Think he’d be?”

 

“I do. I shall ask him as soon as I meet him.” 

 

With that, she exited the room, not noticing Fukura trailing behind. 

 

“Have you ever sewed before?” she heard and stopped her walk at once.

 

“If you consider sewing limbs back to body then yes, I have. Why are you asking?” it was supposed to be just a joke, but seeing Fukura’s disturbed expression Shiki couldn’t help but feel a sting of satisfaction.

 

“No reason.” Oshi stated clearly, looking at the floor “Just… wondering.”

 

“I see.” Keshousun said and was about to go off, but she caught a glimpse of desperation in Fukura’s posture. She sighed deeply in her mind and smiled gently “You may assist me if you’d like.” 

 

“T-then…” sewer walked up to Shiki “But only because you begged me!”

 

“I don’t recall begging for anything. That was a mere offer. If it’s making you uncomfortable, you could just-”

 

“No, no! I’ll go!”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Is this some kind of joke?” Otome wondered out loud. He and Hoshii were standing in front of the MonoMono Machine, staring dumbfounded at the Flashback Light that emerged from it. “After the first try?”

 

There was no denying it. It couldn’t be coincidence that they won ‘the first prize’ after only one attempt. It was as if Monokuma  _ wanted _ them to win it. But why? Didn’t it put the bear in disadvantage?

 

“We’re lucky, aren’t we?” Hoshii said, his words making Otome frown a little.

 

“Quite the contrary.” he responded “We’re doing exactly what Monokuma wants us to.”

 

“Maybe. But I’d like to have all my memories back, even if I had to surrender to Monokuma. Wouldn’t you? How are you gonna fight if you don’t know what you’re fighting against?”

 

“You have a point, but… wait. That’s actually very good question. Who are we fighting against?” Otome felt as if he just experienced a revelation. The truth was so close, and yet so far away. “The obvious answer is ‘Monokuma’, right?” Hoshii nodded, intrigued “But Monokuma is just a teddy bear. He’s probably just a mascot, The real enemy is the one controlling Monokuma - the Mastermind behind this Killing Game. They are the person we need to find.”

 

“Yeah, probably…” Hoshi scratched his neck “But how are we supposed to find someone like that? I know I just gave you the speech about the Flashback Lights, but I was just talking bullshit, I don’t really know what we need to do.”

 

“Ah, well, whatever. I’m sure we can figure it out eventually.” Otome shrugged “More importantly, should we use it?” he pointed at the Flashback Light.

 

“Um… Maybe…? I mean, now that the others know about the Flashback Lights we shouldn’t hide them, but then again - maybe we should check it out before showing them…”

 

“Yeah…” they were silent for a moment “Ah, fuck it. Let’s use it.” Otome said then grabbed the flashlight and turned it on.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Flooding memories left Konan unable to breathe. It was similar to the previous time, but stronger. More stunning. More nauseating.

 

When she got out of daze, Karasu was nowhere to be seen and the door to her room were closed. Not thinking about it, she grabbed the handle and turned it, but to no avail.

 

If the door were locked, Karasu wasn’t inside. 

 

Or was she?

 

If so, why would she lock herself? She was the one to offer the Flashback Light to her, so why would she run away? Had she wanted Konan to chase after her?

 

Vet snored and started walking toward the exit, memories from the Flashback Light playing on repeat in her head.

 

The Ultimate Hunt, huh? That didn’t make any sense. If they got rid of their Ultimate Talents, why were they here? Why they remembered them? It was just so confusing!

 

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice when she got to the school building. Now that she was here, she should probably check the new Labs and the fourth floor out, right? She thought to herself, before heading toward the staircase. She’d probably meet Yuki somewhere along the way.

 

When she got to the fourth floor, she was met with Tamari, Kagakure and Nazomu standing extremely still, looking at nothing.

 

“Um… Something happened?” she asked, but they didn’t even flinch. As she walked up to them, she noticed the Flashback Light, lying on the floor next to Nazomu’s feet. 

 

Why was it here? Didn’t Yuki have it? And what was the deal with this floor? It was supposed to be school, so why casino?

 

“Nazomu? Hataka?” she heard Kagakure calling and stopped looking around to face him.  The boy looked confused and kinda… frightened? Was this because of the Flashback Light? That’d explain everything - being stunned, the flashlight lying on the floor… 

 

Speaking about being stunned… Did she look the same after Yuki made her use the Flashback Light? And the previous time, too? 

 

“You… when did you... ?” Otome asked, his eyes darting between Nazomu and herself.

 

Hanzo shrugged “Came here and saw you all dreamy and stuff, with this thing lying on the floor, so I used it as well.” 

 

“Did you… remember anything?” 

 

“That’s how these flashlights work.” Konan interjected. 

 

“Huh?” Otome seemed as if he just noticed her. “Did you use it as well?”

 

She shrugged in response, then looked at Nazomu. The boy was suspicious. Not only because he couldn’t remember his own Ultimate Talent, his actions were weird, too. For example now, how he conveniently got here when no one had seen him and used the Flashback Light conveniently when Tamari and Kagakure were in daze, then conveniently got out of daze at the same time as the two. A little too much convenient timing, right?

 

The silver-haired boy raised his brew, and only then Konan noticed she was staring. She quickly looked away, examining the surrounding.

 

The whole floor was weird, but this room was even weirder. There was only one gambling machine with big neon saying ‘1st Prize - Flashback Light’. Wait. Was the flashlight from this machine? Then, Yuki still had the one she stole from Monokuma?

 

“Anyway…” Otome started “We need to show this to others.”

 

“You didn’t bother showing the previous one.” Nazomu interjected, and Tamari held his  breath. 

 

“We didn’t have it.” Kagakure interjected.

 

“Oh?” Nazomu leaned in a little to look more intimidating. “Then who did?”

 

“How would I know-!?”

 

“Karasu did.”

 

They all turned to face Otome, who was standing straight, with serious look on his face.

 

“She told me. She found the first flashlight in one of the empty rooms and hid it. Then, she let me and Kagakure use it.” photographer continued.

 

For a moment, nobody said anything. Then, Nazomu broke the silence “That’s bullshit-!”

 

“I’m flattered~!” they heard cheerful voice and turned toward the entrance, where Karasu stood, smiling sweetly. “I appreciate you defending me, my prince charming,” she winked at Hanzo “But those two are telling the truth.”

 

“I don’t think so.” Nazomu narrowed his eyes at Yuki

 

“Well, whatever. These are the facts: I found the flashlight under one of the empty rooms on the third floor and took it. And after Monokuma told us all that someone is hiding something, I gave Tamari-kun the flashlight.”

 

“As I said, that’s bullshit! You made me pick a lock to his door to  _ steal _ the flashlight! You didn’t have it!”

 

“And as  _ I _ said, I gave the flashlight to Tamari.”

 

“Then what was the point in stealing it!?”

 

Karasu’s cheerful facade fell for a moment. “You ask a whole lot of questions. What makes you think I’m gonna answer any of them?”

 

“You were the one that appeared out of nowhere and started talking shit.” Konan interjected lowly.

 

“Whatever.” gambler shrugged “So, what are you planning? You’re gonna gather everyone and moan about how you’re gonna defeat the Killing Game with the power of friendship?” she asked, looking at Otome.

 

“Maybe. And you? You’re gonna sabotage us all the time moaning about how defeating the Killing Game is stupid?” the boy responded, narrowing his eyes in frustration.

 

Yuki couldn’t help but giggle. “That’s a good one.”

 

“What’s even your objective!? All you do is annoying us and playing games with Hataka and Nazomu! We at least  _ try _ !”

 

“My objective, huh?” suddenly, Karasu’s face changed into serious one, her eyes glazed off in thought “There’s… someone I want to revenge myself on.”

 

“Huh? Who are you talking about?” Otome’s voice lost the irritated tune from before.

 

Yuki’s face turned dark and Otome could swear he saw a glimpse of anger in her as she responded “Who knows?” 


	27. Chapter 27

Dinner time approached as they all gathered in the dining hall, one by one preparing their meal. Only Rika, Karasu and Hanzo weren’t there and Otome glanced anxiously at the door, waiting for them to arrive.

 

He shouldn’t have yelled at Karasu, he thought. It was he and Kagakure who lied, putting the girl at disadvantage. And she even defended them! That was just so messed up! Why would she even do something like that? Why would she play the villain like that? That wouldn’t profit her at all!

 

“We shouldn’t have lied,” he muttered to Hoshii, who was sitting next to him.

 

“And what would you say? That we hid the flashlight because what? We don’t have any excuses. Karasu was the perfect one.”

 

“We should’ve taken responsibility for our actions! Karasu did nothing wrong there!”

 

“How would you know? You said yourself she had the flashlight before she gave it to you. And she broke into your room while you were sleeping. She’s far from innocent.”

 

“I didn’t say she was innocent-”

 

“Geez, she went along with our lie, so it’s okay,”

 

“It’s far from okay! We’re digging our own grave here!” he forcefully put his hands on the table.

 

“Bad joke.” Kagakure shrugged, not affected by this sudden outburst.

 

“I’m not joking, man!” Otome hushed, sensing others’ gazes on them.

 

“Should I remind you who wanted to use the flashlight? Or who started this lying?” Hoshii leaned closer to Otome, “You’re the one to blame for this, mate, I was just protecting you.”

 

The photographer couldn’t find any words to respond. He just gawed, opening his mouth and then closing and opening again on enrol. His heart pounded as if it wanted to burst out of his chest.

 

Kagakure then smiled warmly and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, don’t worry. Just eat something and you’ll feel better.”

 

All he could do was comply.

  
  


* * *

  
  


When they all ate their meal and Rika, Karasu and Nazomu still didn’t come, Otome started worrying.

 

Was their absence connected? Were they together? If so, what were they doing? It wasn’t anything dangerous, was it? Monokuma’s motive wasn’t announced yet, so it couldn’t?

 

Wait. When had he started thinking that way? That the motive always leads to murder? It only happened twice, it wasn’t hard evidence…

 

But somehow, it added up.

 

Monokuma’s motives targeted only one specific person. It was as if it was all planned out - who dies and who kills. Was it all Monokuma’s doing? Mastermind’s doing? Did they plan it all out? If so, why? What would they get?

 

Aaah, it was so confusing!

 

“I’m gonna head out now,” Otori announced and got up.

 

“Upupu~!” Monokuma then arrived, next to the entrance, as if blocking the way out. “Not so fast! I was hoping I could get everyone to listen to me, but well. Their loss. Since it’s so peaceful and stuff, I decided to announce the new motive now! Not tomorrow!” Otome held his breath, waiting for Monokuma to continue, “It’s the Victim Motive! It’s being uploaded to your Monopods juuuust now!” it raised its arms onto the air “Happy Killing everyone!” and it disappeared.

 

One by one, they grabbed their Monopods and read the Motive. Otome hesitantly did the same. And regretted only moment later.

 

‘Akurami Rikomu made her friend commit suicide’ it said.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rika dragged herself down the hallway heading to the dining hall. She got so absorbed by the books in her Lab she almost forgot she had to eat. Otori and Kosuri went ahead of her, not even bothering to inform her the dinner time was approaching. Not that there was something like dinnertime here, they just silently agreed to eat together every day.

 

Somehow, when she thought about eating, her memory got flooded by images of Satoshi’s execution.

 

She hesitated, her hand on the handle on the dining hall door.

 

Maybe she wasn’t hungry, she thought before turning around, a sudden wave of nausea stopping her from running.

 

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. She had to repeat those words in her head not to faint here and now.

 

Slowly, she made her way to the bathroom.

 

She was done. She was so done with this place! It was so fucked up! Why!? Why would anyone want this!? They were just normal people, so… Why would anyone want them to die?

 

Well, they had the Ultimate Talents, but… Their talents didn’t make them special. It was them, who made those talents special.

 

She splashed some water on her face.

 

That was no time to panic, she thought to herself, she had to be strong and intimidating, so no one would dare to harm her.

 

She made some angry faces in the mirror before exiting the bathroom.

 

“Leave me alone!” she heard someone cry and without a second thought headed toward the source of the sound. She expected it to be Otori or Hanatsuki, maybe even Akurami, but she was met with Karasu almost running down the hallway, Nazomu following close behind. The two were facing the same direction as her, so she wasn’t spotted as she watched, wondering if she should do something.

 

Then, Nazomu ran up to Yuki and grabbed her wrist, turning her around so she faced him. The grip must’ve been strong, Rika thought, as gambler’s face twitched in pain.

 

“Do you think it’s funny?” Nazomu hissed lowly, and Rika felt chills wandering down her spine. This person was scary. Very scary. And very dangerous.

 

“Oh my, do you?” Karasu chirped, though her voice was strained.

 

“Stop joking around and explain it to me.” he showed her his Monopod.

 

“Last time I checked you weren’t my mother. You have no right to demand anything from me.”

 

“Oh? So you want me to tell everyone your little secret?”

 

Karasu snickered at that, “And you want me to tell yours? Mr Ultimate Criminal?”

 

Nazomu gripped Yuki’s wrist harder, causing her to squick a little.

 

“Ooooh? So you haven’t realized it was me who hid your file? You’re surprisingly stupid~” she teased, though the expression of pain didn’t leave her face.

 

“Why would you do that?” Nazomu’s voiced lacked the anger from before and he loosened his grip, making their hands hang, still holding Karasu’s wrist. “Whose do you have if not mine?”

 

“Who knows?” she shrugged, “Now, I’m hungry. Let’s go eat something!”

 

Hanzo nodded and Yuki moved a little so that they were holding each other’s hands, before going off.

 

A moment later, Rika heard Nazomu say “You still haven’t answered my questions.” and Karasu’s laugh at that. Only then she realized she had been holding her breath this entire time.

 

Nazomu Hanzo is the Ultimate Criminal. Nazomu Hanzo is the Ultimate Criminal. She repeated those words in her head.

 

“That stupid bastard!” she hissed.

 

He knew all along. He hadn’t forgotten. He lied to them all.

 

It was all Rika understood from the situation that unfolded before her eyes. Why was Nazomu angry at Karasu? What was this ‘whose’ talk about? And that file Karasu was talking about? Was this the file from Ridaku’s Lab? If so, was she protecting Nazomu?

 

With shaking hands, Rika hugged herself.

 

“What the fuck…” she muttered, her voice trembling.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Whose do you have?” Otome heard Kagakure’s voice and tilted his Monopod, so the other could see.

 

“And you?” Hoshii silently tilted his Monopod as well.

 

‘Fukura Oshi is a cutter.’

 

“What the-” they gawked in unison and looked each other in the eyes.

 

“This is so messed up…” Hoshi muttered.

 

“What isn’t in this Academy?”

 

Their conversation was cut short as Kosuri cleared her throat, catching everyone’s attention.

 

“I think we should all tell each other what it says.” she pointed at her Monopod.

 

“No way,” Konan said forcefully and exited the dining hall angrily.

 

“Um...” Tobiko stuttered, “Anyone?” she looked at them all with hope, but they one by one exited the room.

 

“I miss you, Ridaku…” she whispered to herself once she was alone. “I miss you…”

  
  



	28. Chapter 28

Otome was lying in his bed, looking at nothing. His mind was so loud he couldn’t sleep. And it was early, on top of that. The nighttime announcement hadn’t played, so considering he was putting all-nighters for a past week and sleeping during the day, it wasn’t surprising he couldn’t sleep.

 

He was very tired, though.

 

All the stress coming from all that happened, it just made him want to never leave this room again.

 

But he couldn’t do that. He had to escape with everyone.

 

And then, his mind wandered to the Victim Motive. ‘Akurami Rikomu made her friend commit suicide’. That was one hell of an accusation. He wasn’t sure what to think. Was this sentence true? Or was it made up just so someone would kill Akurami-chan?

 

But since everyone got someone else’s motive, did it mean it was supposed to make him kill Akurami-chan?

 

But he wouldn’t do that. Even if Akurami-chan made someone kill himself, he wouldn’t kill her. Never.

 

But what about the others? There were two murders already, one of them only yesterday. He had all rights to suspect that killing could happen.

 

The only thing he could do was to hope. There was no way of stopping this Killing Game. They would remain trapped forever. Or they would all die.

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

The monitor in his room turned on, but he paid no attention to it, as he drowned in sorrow.

 

**“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy.”** Monokuma said  **“It is now 10 p.m., which means it’s officially nighttime. Soon, the door to the dining hall and the gym will be closed. Don’t forget to kill someone in their sleep! Good night, sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”**

 

And somehow, Monokuma’s words triggered him, caused rage to pound inside him.

 

No. He wouldn’t give in to this Killing Game. He’d destroy it and escape with everyone. No matter what.

  
  


* * *

  
  


He awoke a few seconds before the morning announcement and as Monokuma encouraged them to kill, he lazily brushed his teeth.

 

Yesterday everyone exited the dining hall not saying a word about their motives, he himself included. Would everyone still gather to eat breakfast? If so, would the atmosphere be awkward or everyone would forget about the motives?

 

Pff, wishful thinking.

 

He couldn’t forget. ‘Akurami Rikomu made her friend commit suicide’. The sentence got stuck in his head, repeating itself over and over again.

 

Akurami seemed like a cheerful, innocent girl. She wouldn’t drive anyone to their death, would she? Then again, she was the Ultimate Occultist, maybe it was part of some kind of ritual. Not that it made her any less guilty, but…

 

Ugh, it was so confusing!

 

He didn’t know what to think anymore!

 

He tugged at his hair in frustration and washed his face with cold water. He’d go eat like always. Nothing would be different. Some accusations made by Monokuma wouldn’t change anything, right?

 

He made his way out of his room, almost bumping into someone in the hallway.

 

This 'someone' turned out to be Hanatsuki, and she squicked and bowed multiple times. “I-I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention!”

 

“That’s fine. It was me, who walked into you… I’m the one who should be apologizing.” he smiled awkwardly, scratching his neck.

 

“A-Anyway… I’m glad you’ve decided t-to join everyone for breakfast… I-I was afraid nobody would come...”

 

“Yeah, um… I was thinking the same thing,” they started walking toward the dining hall.

 

“Um… T-Tamari-kun…?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“W-whose do you have? M-Motive, I mean…”

 

“Uh…” Otome stuttered. Should he tell her? She was the closest one to Akurami, so she could verify the motive, but then again… If she didn’t know, it could cause an argument between the two… “Akurami-chan’s,” he said after a moment.

 

Anko visibly flinched, “I-I-It’s n-not very b-bad, is it? A-And it could b-be a lie…”

 

“You know something, don’t you?” he narrowed his eyes at her.

 

“I-I…” she hung her head, “I shouldn’t have asked… I-I’m sorry.”

 

“No no no, don’t change the subject! You definitely know something!”

 

“W-well, of course, I d-do… B-but… All I c-can say is… Don’t take the motive too seriously.”

 

“I… see?” he tilted his head, a bit confused. “And you? Whose do you have?”

 

“K-Keshousun-chan’s…”

 

“What does it say?”

 

“Have you known? The plants here aren’t artificial, and yet they hadn’t grown naturally. Weird, huh?” she changed the subject looking at her Lab in the distance.

 

“What?” Otome furrowed his brew, not understanding what that had to do with his question.

 

Anko looked at the ground, “D-Don’t bother. Her motive isn’t b-bad.”

 

“What?” he repeated. He still couldn’t follow Hanatsuki’s line of thought.

 

“What I said a-about plants is true, though. But I still n-need to run some more tests b-before I tell everyone what I’ve f-found…”

 

“I see. That’s good, then?”

 

Hanatsuki curled up a little as she felt Otome’s gaze on her. She didn’t answer.

 

They entered the dining hall to find it almost empty. There was only Rika, Tobiko, Fukura, Shiki and Kagakure.

 

He greeted everyone before sitting next to Kagakure.

 

“You’re here early,” he said, and the other boy shrugged.

 

“It’s weird we didn’t meet on our way. I got here just now.” and true to his words, Hoshii wasn’t eating. He just sat there, almost not moving.

 

“You alright? You seem weird.”

 

“Yeah, yeah… Just can’t get those motives out of my head.”

 

“I’ll make you some coffee.” Otome offered and headed to the kitchen not waiting for a reply.

 

Hoshii sighed, looking at his friend’s back. Everything was so messed up, he didn’t understand a thing! In what way the knowledge that Fukura is a cutter should make him want to kill her!? It wasn’t his problem, and while it disturbed him, he didn’t plan on doing anything.

 

He looked up to see Shiki calmly drinking her tea, Akurami talking about something to Anko and Rika and Tobiko eating, looking at each other from time to time with frustration. The two seemed to talk to each other, but then again it couldn’t be called conversation as they exchanged a few words per few minutes.

 

Otome got back and placed a cup of coffee in front of him, slipping from the second cup he was holding.

 

“Thanks,” Hoshii muttered, still looking at Rika and Tobiko. The two were completely different, and yet he sensed some kind of similarity between them.

 

“So, have you slept at all? You seem tired.” he couldn’t help but chuckle at Otome’s question.

 

“Actually, yes. Though I had trouble getting up.”

 

“It’s the complete opposite of what I experienced. I couldn’t sleep and then awoke before the morning announcement.”

 

“Well, I guess you’ve been thinking about the motive?”

 

“Yeah, well… Hanatsuki said not to take it seriously, but… I can’t help it, it’s disturbing.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

They fell silent, each of them lazily drinking their coffee. It was almost peaceful. Almost.

 

“Shut the fuck up!” Rika’s yell made them flinch, almost dropping the cups they were holding. “Nobody wants to hear your pathetic excuse of motivating!”

 

“Nobody wants to hear your insults, either!” Tobiko yelled back.

 

“Fuck you! All you do is trying to be like Shit-aku, pathetic excuse of a leader! Leaving us all when it’s convenient!”

 

“You take that back!”

 

The two were standing, facing each other with fury.

 

“You take your birth back! Stupid musclehead!”

 

“Ridaku did his best! He sacrificed his everything! You’d never do something like that! You’re just a parasite!”

 

“Oh, yeah, well, he took Satoshit with him! If he so wanted to save us, he could have just killed himself! He was nothing more than just a coward!”

 

It all happened so quickly, no one even comprehended it. In one second, the two were arguing, standing next to the table, their chairs still next to them, as if they’d sit any second. And just a moment later, there was a loud ‘thud’ and Rika was falling to the floor, bowling over her chair, and hitting the next chair with her head, Tobiko’s arm reached out, with a clenched fist.

 

“You’re dead,” Rika growled lowly. “You’re so fucking dead!” she tried to stand up, failing a few times.

 

Tobiko just stood there, frozen, her eyes widened in disbelieving.

 

And as Rika was about to punch Tobiko back, Shiki appeared behind her, grabbing her upper arm and holding her in place.

 

“Please, refrain from violence,” she said calmly.

 

Rika struggled a little, but Shiki’s grip was too strong.

 

“It’s not over.” she growled, “I’ll fucking poison your food and you’ll die in pain, praying to the nonexisting god to cease your suffering.”

 

And with that, she ran out of the dining hall, Shiki letting her go.


	29. Chapter 29

After the Rika Incident, Hanatsuki went straight to her Lab.

 

If the conflicts went too far, the killing might happen again. They could fight the motives, but they could do almost nothing if someone was holding a grudge against anyone.

 

And Rika and Tobiko were definitely on bad terms.

 

They needed to escape from this place as soon as possible, the conflict only pressuring them further.

 

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Akurami said as Anko examined one of the plants under the microscope.

 

She flinched, not noticing the other girl followed her all the way here, “T-that’s the least I-I can do…” she answered truthfully. She wasn’t good at anything besides examining plants, so she was useless in the Killing Game. So if examining plants could save everyone, she would gladly do this.

 

“Yeah, well, maybe. Everyone wants to escape. But y’know, nobody wants you to work yourself to death.”

 

“Y-you’re being silly, A-Akurami-chan. Examining plants h-have never killed anyone.”

 

“First time for everything,” Rikomu shrugged, but Anko couldn’t see that, as she resumed her research.

 

The structure of the plant she was examining was weird. It seemed as if it was a very young plant when in reality it needed at least fifty years to be the way it was.

 

What could that mean?

 

She noted down her thoughts and took another sample to examine.

 

The results were the same and Anko furrowed her brows in frustration. Akurami must’ve noticed, as she sat next to her in silence.

 

Another sample. And another.

 

All the plants in this school were like that.

 

Anko’s mind screamed at her with an obvious explanation, but she didn’t want to believe it! She couldn’t believe it!

 

Were the plants… hibernated?

 

“N-no…” Anko muttered to herself, “I-I can’t accept that…”

 

“Huh?” Akurami hummed questioningly, but Anko ignored her and examined the samples again.

 

But the results were the same.

 

Anko gripped her hair in anger.

 

“H-hey!” Akurami yelled, taking Anko’s hands in her own, “What happened?”

 

Hanatsuki looked up with resignation, “T-the plants…”

 

“What about them?”

 

“T-they were h-hibernated…” Anko deadpanned as if it was something major, something very important.

 

“So…?” Akurami asked, confused. So what if the plants were hibernated? It didn’t change anything, did it?

 

“Y-you… don’t u-understand?” Anko let her hands fall against her body, Akurami’s hands still on hers.

 

“What is there to understand?”

 

“T-Think about it… W-why would t-they hibernate plants?”

 

“So it remained the way they were? I mean, as if they were needed for a long time? Or...-”

 

“Exactly!” Anko screamed, somehow hopeful, “I-I mean… uh… I-If they were needed to be frozen, they might h-have been in danger of extinction… A-and there are l-lots of different plants, so… T-the entire e-ecosystem might be ruined…”

 

“W-whoa…? You mean, like all the plants on Earth!?”

 

“Um… The e-ecosystem is m-much, much more than j-just a plants…”

 

“Oh, so… The world…?”

 

Anko nodded lightly, a soft sigh escaping her lips, “P-probably the whole world is r-ruined…”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Konan was making her breakfast in the kitchen. She overslept, not even the morning announcement being able to wake her up. She couldn’t get free of this uneasy feeling in her stomach.

 

‘Nazomu Hanzo is the Ultimate Criminal’, her motive said and sure as hell, she felt triggered.

 

She knew the boy was suspicious, but to this extent!? And he was aware of it the whole time!? She thought Yuki was a liar, but Nazomu too?

 

Speaking of Yuki, she hadn’t seen the girl since the time in the casino. And knowing she probably was with Nazomu made her… worry?

 

Yesterday, after dinner, she burst out of the dining hall, her mind screaming at her various scenarios, like ‘Nazomu killed Yuki’. She just needed to find her, make sure there wasn’t another murder.

 

But she couldn’t. No matter where she searched, she couldn’t find Nazomu nor Yuki. So she went to sleep.

 

“Oh my, it’s a little late for breakfast, don’t you think?” she heard the familiar voice behind her and quickly turned around to face the gambler.

 

Yuki was leaning on the doorframe, pretty much alive, grinning like always.

 

“Want some?” she asked, pointing at the cereal she was preparing.

 

“Huh?” the other girl almost flinched, her face showing genuine surprise. But only for a moment. “Nah, I eat breakfast at breakfast time.”

 

Konan shrugged and grabbed her bowl, making her way out of the kitchen. As she sat down at the table, she noticed Yuki didn’t follow her.

 

She started eating, trying not to think about and as she was almost finished, Karasu exited the kitchen, a cup in hand. The girl sat down next to her and started sipping her drink. Coffee, she guessed.

 

“So, what do you think about the motives?” Yuki asked, looking down at her cup.

 

“Dunno.”

 

“Whoa, what an elaborate response!”

 

“Well, what is there to think? More importantly, whose do you have?”

 

“Oooh, curious, aren’t we?” the playful tone Yuki used not at all matching her malicious expression, “I’ll tell you, but only if you tell me first!”

 

“I have Nazomu’s.”

 

And Yuki’s expression fell.

 

“Of course you do.” she laughed, then forcefully put her still half full cup on the table. “Aaah, it’s boring.” she then jumped out of her seat, “Farewell, my friend~!”

 

And as soon as she appeared, she was gone.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Surprisingly, everyone gathered in the dining hall for dinner. Otome looked at Rika and Tobiko, who sat next to each other, grim atmosphere all around them.

 

“Man, they should just chill,” Kagakure said, following Otome’s gaze.

 

“Yeah… It’s dangerous. Rika did say she would kill Kosuri.”

 

“Do you think she will?”

 

“It’s hard to tell,” Otome sipped his tea, “I don’t think she will, but then again, we’re in a killing game...”

 

“I see…”

 

Then, Shiki and Fukura exited the kitchen, holding plates full of food.

 

“We decided to prepare dinner for everyone,” Shiki said, “hoping it would bid adieu to all conflicts dividing our group.”

 

The two started serving everyone, filling cups and giving more food. And for a moment, it was peaceful. But in this Academy, every good thing must come to an end.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“It was good!” Otome cheered as he and Kagakure walked out of the dining hall.

 

“Agree!” the other boy smiled cheerfully, “Even Hanashisuma and Kosuri acted civilly!” he added, chuckling.

 

“Hey!” Tobiko, who was walking just behind them shouted, “It’s not my fault that girl always starts an argument!”

 

“Shut up, musclehead!” Rika exclaimed, walking next to Tobiko.

 

“Girls! Girls!” Akurami clapped her hands, “Hades shall punish you if you keep arguing!”

 

They all chatted cheerfully until the nighttime announcement played off.

 

“Goodnight, everyone!” Rikomu exclaimed before running off to her room. Soon, everyone did the same.

 

Otome lied in his bed, smiling. Today was full of bad things, he thought, but in the end, it was all good. They were all getting along, despite Rika’s and Tobiko’s arguments.

 

Soon, he drifted off to sleep, smile still lingering on his face.

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

He awoke to the monitor turning on.

 

**“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. It is now 8 a.m. which means the nighttime is officially over. Soon, door to the dining hall and the gym will open. Murdery day, everyone!”**

 

Otome took his time getting ready, then lazily headed to the dining hall. He didn’t meet anyone on his way, so he guessed everyone was already during breakfast.

 

“Hey, mate!” he was greeted by Kagakure once he got to the dining hall and sat next to his friend. But he didn’t answer, his attention somewhere else, yet nowhere in particular.

 

Something was off. Something was very off. But he couldn’t figure out what.

 

He counted empty seats, guessing someone was absent.

 

And he was right.

 

There were five empty seats.

 

Tobiko was gone.

  
  



	30. Chapter 30

“Where’s Kosuri?” Otome asked anxiously.

 

“Chill, dude. She probably just overslept,” Hoshii shrugged.

 

“Don’t you remember what Hanashisuma said!? Kosuri could be dead!”

 

“Back off, bastard! I didn’t even touch the musclehead,” Rika interjected, then looked at Shiki “Thanks to miss stick-in-the-ass.”

 

“Rika-chan!” Akurami shouted.

 

“What!? I said I didn’t fucking do anything!”

 

“What concerns us more, is your language,” Shiki commented.

 

“Hey, Y'all…” Nazomu caught everyone’s attention, “Where’s Fukura?”

 

Otome took a look around the table. Sure enough, Oshi was nowhere to be seen. But not only that. Anko was nowhere to be seen either.

 

“What the fuck!?” Rika exclaimed, confusion visible on her face, “She was here a moment ago!”

 

“Hanatsuki-chan too!” Akurami joined.

 

“Let’s search for them, quickly!” Kagakure yelled and ran out of the room, the rest following behind.

 

Otome took a glance at Yuki, who was calmly eating her cereal, not showing any intention of following them. The girl, as if sensing his gaze on her, looked him straight into eyes, a maniacal grin forming on her face.

 

He quickly averted his eyes, running out the room after the rest.

 

“Let’s split up and search the whole school!” Otori shouted, contradicting her calm and grown-up persona.

 

So they all ran off, desperate to avoid next tragedy.

 

Otome headed to the gym, Kagakure trailing behind. After just a few moments, he found himself out of breath, but he couldn’t stop. There was something wrong! Something seriously wrong! They needed to find everyone! Fast!

 

The gym was empty.

 

“Fuck it!” Hoshii swore, kicking the wall in anger.

 

“Hey, bro, chill!” Otome put a hand on his shoulder. “We need to search.”

 

So they ran again.

 

“Fuck!” Hoshii punched a desk in one of the classrooms.

 

“Dude! We don’t have time for this!”

 

And again.

 

All the classrooms. All the corridors. All the Research Labs in the school building. The library. Tobiko wasn’t in any of them. Neither were Fukura and Hanatsuki.

 

“Fucking fuck!” Hoshii leaned on the wall, breathing heavily.

 

“Let’s… huh… search… huh… outside…” Otome huffed, leaning on the wall as well.

 

They calmed their breath before going off again.

 

When they exited the school, they were met with crouching Anko, who was breathing heavily.

 

“Hanatsuki! We’re all searching for you!” Otome yelled, causing the girl to flinch.

 

“I’m sorry!” she squicked, “I-I… I wanted to search for K-Kosuri-chan, s-so…” she trailed off.

 

“So?”

 

“I-I couldn’t find her a-anywhere. A-And… I-I was about to head to her R-Research Lab…”

 

“That’s a good idea! Let’s go there.” Hoshii exclaimed and grabbed Otome by his sleeve. Anko stood up shakily. The three headed to the Ultimate Athlete’s Ultimate Research Lab.

 

“Oh geez, I’m exhausted…” Hoshii huffed once they reached their destination.

 

“She better be there,” Otome commented and pushed the door open.

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

And sure enough, she was in there. Hanging by her neck. Dead.

 

**“A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time, the Class Trial will begin!”**

 

They just stood there in shock, not saying anything, not moving, not breathing.

 

The killing happened again. Someone was dead. There was going to be another Class Trial. The killing happened again. Someone-

 

“W-W-W-What the-!?” they heard Fukura’s voice and turned around to see her standing in the doorframe. Soon, they all gathered at the crime scene, still in too much shock to begin the investigation.

 

“I shall examine the body.” Shiki broke the silence and headed toward Tobiko’s corpse. Otome took his time looking around the room. They were in the changing room of Kosuri’s Lab, Kosuri herself hanging from the metal pipe surrounding the room just under the ceiling. She was hung on a rope made with a few clothes tied together. Shiki grabbed a ladder that was in a corner of the room and climbed on it to reach the body.

 

Wait.

 

What was the ladder doing in the changing room?

 

He pushed the thought aside and opened the Monokuma File.

 

**The victim is Kosuri Tobiko, the Ultimate Athlete. The cause of death is ???. The time of death is 11 p.m.**

 

“What the-” he muttered, “She was hanging here the whole night?”

 

“And what’s up with those question marks?” Hoshii added, “The Monokuma File always said what cause of death was.”

 

“Yeah…” Otome agreed, thinking about Tobiko. Did she… hung herself? Or did someone hung her? If so, she would struggle, wouldn’t she? And those question marks. The cause of death was obvious - strangulation - was this why it wasn’t mentioned? Monokuma assumed they’d get it and left it that way? Or…

 

“It was suicide, wasn’t it?” Oshi verbalized his thoughts from a moment before with troubled expression.

 

“It certainly seems that way.” Nazomu agreed, though his expression told he was considering something else.

 

“I say it’s Hanashisuma-chan.” Fukura deadpanned, “She was threatening Kosuri-chan just yesterday.”

 

“I already said I didn’t touch the musclehead!” Rika argued.

 

“That’s just a word against the word. We need evidence.” Otome interjected.

 

“But we can’t ignore Rika-chan’s words. They were a death-threat. It’s unforgettable in a killing game.” Akurami said.

 

“Yeah, she’s suspicious…” Fukura agreed.

 

“ _ I’m _ suspicious!?” Rika growled, her fists clenched, visibly shaking at her sides, “What about Mr I-can’t-remember-my-ultimate-talent!?”

 

Nazomu flinched gently, almost not visible, “What about me?”

 

“Ooooh, yeah yeah, play dumb you dirty liar!” she shouted.

 

“Rika-chan!” Akurami gasped.

 

“Maybe your fuck girl is protecting you, but I’m not as nice Mr Ultimate Criminal!” Rika almost spatted those words looking accusingly at Hanzo.

 

A few gasps were heard and Nazomu opened his mouth to say something, but at the same time the door cracked open and Karasu entered the room.

 

“Yahoooo~!” she sang “Whoa~ We have another corpse~” she jogged to Shiki and Konan, who were now examining Tobiko’s body on the floor after taking the ‘rope’ off.

 

“So?” Rika leaned in a little bit, looking at Nazomu with anger in her eyes, “What do you say?”

 

“Do you have mine motive?” he asked.

 

“Oh, do I? Does it matter now?”

 

“You were there. You overheard my conversation with Yuki.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You said that Yuki was protecting me, so you must’ve known she knew about my Ultimate Talent.”

 

“So!? Just say why did you hide it from us! Explain yourself!”

 

“Someone else has mine. Someone else knows too.”

 

“Now everyone knows, you idiot!”

 

“That doesn’t make me the culprit. It was you who threatened now dead Kosuri-san.”

 

“And I say I didn’t touch the musclehead.”

 

“Who thinks Rika-chan is the culprit?” Akurami interjected. Most of the group hesitantly raised their hands.

 

“I fucking said I didn’t touch her!” Rika argued.

 

“That’s just a word against a word, as Tamari said,” Nazomu stated.

 

“For all we know, you could have killed her,” Otori added.

 

“I-I think w-we should investigate instead of a-accusing each other…” Anko interjected.

 

“Belial has spoken!” Akurami shouted, throwing her hands in the air, “Hanashisuma-chan is guilty! We shouldn’t allow her to investigate, for she could mess with the crime scene!”

 

“That’s-” Rika started, but was cut off.

 

“That’s bullshit!” Otori yelled, “Who do you think you are to judge her!? You all just go around accusing each other when we should work together to find out what happened!”

 

“You should remember that one of us is the culprit. And Hanashisuma-san is likely to be the one.” Nazomu said.

 

“W-W-W-We should definitely tie her up.” Fukura shakily added, pale.

 

“What the fuck!?” Rika swore.

 

“That’s the only way we can investigate without fear…” Hoshii agreed thoughtfully.

 

Akurami took the tied up clothes Tobiko hung on before and tied her to one of the benches, on the opposite side of the room from Tobiko’s body. The ‘rope’ held Rika’s arms behind her back and attached to the wooden piece. She struggled a lot as Rikomu tried to imprison her, but to no avail.

 

Soon, they all proceeded to investigate leaving Rika with only Shiki and Konan. And dead body of Kosuri Tobiko.

  
  



	31. Chapter 31

“So, you got any plan?” Otome heard Hoshii’s voice next to him and turned to him with a shrug.

 

“Not really. But I think we could check her room?”

 

“What for? She was killed in her Lab, right?”

 

“And you found any clues there?” he raised his brew.

 

“Uh… the ladder?”

 

“It is suspicious, but I was thinking about those clothes the culprit used.”

 

“You think they are from Kosuri’s room?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Let’s check it out, then.”

 

The two made their way to Tobiko’s room, not sure what to expect. Would the clothes match? Would there be some other clue? What they didn’t expect was to meet Yuki rummaging through Tobiko’s belongings.

 

“Karasu? What are you doing here?” Otome asked.

 

“The same as you,” she shrugged simply, not bothering to look up from the drawer she was looking through.

 

“Uh… Did you find anything?” Hoshii tried, but the girl only shrugged.

 

“Search yourself,” she said, closed the drawer and finally looked at them, with her typical grin in place. “I recommend especially that drawer.” she pointed at the place she just finished examining and exited the room without rush.

 

“Should we…?” Otome asked, looking at the said drawer.

 

Hoshii shrugged before he led the way there, Otome just behind him. The two stood motionless for a moment as Otome reached and opened the drawer.

 

“It’s empty,” Hoshii stated.

 

“It’s empty,” Otome repeated.

 

“She was just playing with us.”

 

“Wait. I put my Monopod here before I go to sleep. Maybe Kosuri did the same. Then it’d mean someone took her Monopod.”

 

“Probably she herself. Dude, I have mine always with me.”

 

“We should search this place through and through. Her Monopod might be here.”

 

Kagakure shrugged, “Whatever you say.”

 

So they began their search.

 

“Do you have anything?” asked Otome, standing next to the wardrobe.

 

“Uh, I think I see something there,” Hoshii reported, lying flat next to the bed, looking under it.

 

“Could it be her Monopod?” Tamari made his way to Kagakure.

 

“Yeah, probably.”

 

“Think you can reach it?”

 

Hoshii shrugged before reaching the furthest he could.

 

“Ah! Got it!” he exclaimed and fished Tobiko’s Monopod from under the bed. He looked at it before handing it to Otome.

 

“Kagakure Hoshii strangled his mother.” Tamari read out loud.

 

“What the fuck!?” Hoshii looked at the screen above Otome’s shoulder.

 

“Kagakure?”

 

“I wouldn’t do something like that! Bro!”

 

“I believe you. Let’s just… move on.” he said, but hid Tobiko’s Monopod in his pocket. “I’m sure the cloth used to hang Kosuri was made with her spare clothes. The wardrobe is emptier than it should. And they match.”

 

“So, what can we conclude from that?”

 

“I don’t know yet. Let’s wait until the Class Trial. Now, we should go talk with Keshousun and Hataka about the body.”

 

“Right.”

 

But once they reached Tobiko’s Lab, they were met with an unexpected sight. Just before the entrance lied Konan, unconscious, face-down.

 

“Dude…” Otome muttered and Hoshii nodded before opening the door.

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

Tobiko lied right where they last saw her, Shiki on top of her - unconscious. And in the opposite corner, still tied to the bench - Rika, her throat sliced, a pool of blood still growing.

 

**“A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the Class Trial will begin.”**

 

Otome’s mind fell silent. He just stared at Rika’s body, not really processing what had happened.

 

“Bro…” he said quietly to Kagakure, who was standing just next to him and slowly turned his head to face him.

 

“Double murder?” the other boy asked lowly.

 

“We don’t know that. There could be two different culprits. For example, Hanashisuma could’ve killed Kosuri and someone killed Hanashisuma for that.”

 

“We didn’t know if Hanashisuma was the culprit!”

 

“Chill, bro!”

 

“ _ Chill _ ? You’re seriously telling me to chill when there was double murder!?”

 

“I’m just trying to help!”

 

“Or maybe  _ you’re _ the culprit!? Will you make it triple now!?”

 

And then, there was punch and Kagakure fell to the floor, his eyes wide.

 

“We need to investigate! Not accuse each other! Bro, just calm down…”

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Akurami entered the room hesitantly.

 

“Hey hey hey~!” Karasu jumped in just after her “What’s the dealio with Konan-chi over there~?”

 

“‘Konan-chi’?” Otome muttered “Wait. Hataka! And Keshousun! We need to help them!”

 

“Does anyone know CPR?” Akurami asked, “I know something from anatomy, but only things I need to perform a ritual.”

 

“Yeah, we need those two to examine Rika-chan’s body~!” Yuki chirped in.

 

“I’ll gather everyone, then…” Akurami stated before running off.

 

“So, we should check the Monokuma File,” Kagakure said and only then Otome remembered that something like that existed. He fished out his Monopod from his pocket.

 

**The victim is Hanashisuma Rika, the Ultimate Linguist. The time of death is 11:37 a.m. The cause of death is cut throat.**

 

Otome read the Monokuma File multiple times, thinking hard about what happened, but not much came to his mind. Was there one culprit? Or two? If two, which one of them would get punished? Maybe both?

 

“Upupu~!” he heard and almost jumped, “You kiddos are probably wondering what happens when there is more than one culprit. The answer is simple! First comes first serves! Hanashisuma Rika-chan’s death is meaningless for that matter. Focus on Kosuri Tobiko-chan’s and find that big bad culprit~!” and as suddenly as it appeared, Monokuma disappeared.

 

“Does that mean there are two killers?” Otome asked, tilting his head.

 

“Not surely,” Karasu stated, dropping her cheerful facade. “It said that if there is more than one culprit. It never said that there is, though.”

 

“You have a point, but… if there’s a serial killer among us… we could all die!”

 

Yuki just rolled her eyes and walked up to Shiki. “Wakie wakie~ Another body to check~” she sang, shaking the girl by her shoulders.

 

Slowly but surely, Shiki opened her eyes.

 

“Karasu-san? What is happening?” she asked and Yuki let her go.

 

“It was my line~ Why were you unconscious? And why is Konan outside?”

 

“Unconscious…? Indeed, the last thing I remember is examining the body. Hataka-san went off to investigate along with the rest and then someone entered the room. I thought it was Hataka-san, so I didn’t pay it any attention. And then, there was cloth on my mouth. That’s all I can say.”

 

“I see…” Otome muttered to himself. Someone - the culprit - waited outside for one of them to exit to kill Rika. The cloth… it was probably stained with some sleeping-inducing substance. But when would the culprit find something like that? Or maybe… they’ve prepared it themselves?

 

His eyes unconsciously wandered to the door, where he could see Akurami running here with the rest. Hanatsuki being one of them.

 

Shiki stood up and made her way to the body. “On the first glance, I can say the cause of death is this wound.” she pointed at Rika’s sliced throat. “It was made with something sharp. For example, a knife could do it, but only very sharp one. If I was to bet, I would probably go with some specialized tool. I don’t see anything else catching attention.”

 

She let go of the body and straighten herself.

 

“About Kosuri-san,” she started again, “I believe that strangulation isn’t the cause of death. She was probably dragged here after her death and hung with the help of that ladder” she pointed at the ladder, which was still standing near the place Shiki used it, “What I can say about the cause of death is that it is probably poisoning. I can state that because Kosuri-san had a foam in her mouth, very acidulous-smelling foam. I believe it’s allergic reaction to whatever she was given.”

 

“Then, she was poisoned? But with what?” Otome asked, confused.

 

“I apologize, but I cannot state something like that after mere observation.”

 

“Do some tests, then! Hanatsuki has microscopes in her Lab! And other stuff, too!” Kagakure yelled.

 

“I-”

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

“Fuck it!” he swore.

 

**“Time’s up, kiddos! Proceed to the Judgement Hall, like always!”**

  
  



	32. Class Trial 3

The way to the Trial Ground was silent. No one dared to say anything, walking almost automatically to the Shrine of Judgement.

 

Six platforms had crossed photos with dead people faces.

 

Six of them died.

 

Two Class Trials were behind them.

 

And now, they were about to risk their lives in another one.

 

[Class Trial: Insession]

 

“Now then~! Let’s begin with a basic explanation of the Class Trial! During the trial, you’ll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for ‘whodunnit’. Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person… I’ll punish everyone  _ besides _ the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy! Also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone! Now then, let’s get this crazy, awesome, crazy-awesome trial underway!” Otome said those lines in his head along with Monokuma. It was only third time he’d heard them, but they imprinted themselves in his mind, unable to be forgotten.

 

“We can rule out Hanashisuma-chan, right?” Akurami asked, her expression dark.

 

“We don’t know that!” Fukura argued, “She could’ve killed Kosuri-san before killing herself!”

 

“That’s not right!” Otome exclaimed, “Do you remember the crime scene, Fukura?”

 

“Well, of course, I do!” she crossed her arms, “Who wouldn’t?”

 

“Then tell me, what do you remember?”

 

“She lied face down, still tied. Do I really have to say it? It may cause trauma, you know.”

 

“No, it doesn’t have to be said. We just have to make it clear - there was no murder weapon.”

 

“Then…”

 

“That’s right. Hanashisuma didn’t kill herself.”

 

“Geez, that was just a theory. She still could be the culprit who killed Kosuri-san.” she shrugged.

 

“I think we should leave that for now.” Otori interjected, “We won’t get anywhere assuming Rika-chan is the culprit.”

 

“Yeah, we should talk about Kosuri.” Kagakure agreed.

 

“For example, the cause of death,” Nazomu suggested. “It was missing from the Monokuma File.”

 

“It’s strangulation, isn’t it?” Akurami asked.

 

“I do not agree.” Shiki said, “It  _ could _ be strangulation, but I believe it is not.”

 

“Then what is it?”

 

“Poisoning.” Konan shrugged.

 

“But where would the culprit find a poison?” Otori asked.

 

“T-they could’ve m-made it…” Anko interjected, “I-in my Lab are lots o-of plants that could be used t-to…”

 

“To poison someone.” Akurami finished, thoughtful.

 

“Then Hanatsuki-chan is the culprit,” Fukura stated.

 

“H-huh?” Anko squicked, “I-I…! I-I’m not!”

 

Karasu’s laugh echoed through the room, as she waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t mind me~ Go on, Anko, go on~!”

 

“A-as I said… I-I’m not a c-culprit!”

 

“Then how do you explain that the murder weapon was made in your Lab?” Fukura continued.

 

“I-I…”

 

“Everyone has access to her Lab.” Akurami defended her.

 

“That doesn’t make her any less suspicious.” Fukura put her hands on her hips and leaned forward a little.

 

“But it makes you more suspicious.” Rikomu matched Oshi’s pose.

 

“How so?”

 

“Everyone has access to her Lab. You included.”

 

“I’m a  _ sewer _ , I don’t know anything about chemistry. You, on the other hand probably know plenty, as you’re an occultist and stuff.”

 

“Stop twisting my words.”

 

“Stop accusing me.”

 

“Hey!” Nazomu yelled and they all fell silent, “Everyone can be the culprit. We need to narrow down the suspects, not argue meaninglessly.”

 

“Then what should we talk about?” Kagakure asked.

 

“We need to know what kind of poison Kosuri died from,” Otome muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

 

“I shall remind you I did say it’s not possible,” Shiki said.

 

“Then maybe…-”

 

“Let’s sort through the events~!” Karasu chirped in.

 

“Uh, ok, I guess.” Otome put his hand on his chin in thought. “Kosuri died in the middle of the night, so she was absent during breakfast. Hanatsuki and Fukura went off somewhere-”

 

“Where did you both go?” Akurami asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

 

“I-I wanted to search for K-Kosuri-chan…” Anko replied, looking at the floor.

 

“I saw Hanatsuki-chan going off and followed her.” Fukura shrugged, looking to the side.

 

“I-I couldn’t find her anywhere and… I met K-Kagakure-kun and T-Tamari-kun…”

 

“And I saw all of that and went off to search for everyone…”

 

“Anyway… As I was saying-” Otome tried to continue, but got cut off.

 

“I-I didn’t even go to my Lab!” Anko shouted.

 

“I didn’t go to your Lab either!”Fukura replied.

 

“As I was saying…!” Otome started forcefully.

 

“C-can you prove that?” Anko leaned forward.

 

“Can  _ you _ ?” Fukura leaned forward as well.

 

“Can you both stop interrupting me!?” Otome forcefully put his hand on his podium and the girls looked at him, startled.

 

“I-I’m so sorry!” Anko bowed multiple times.

 

“Anyway,” Otome started again, “We all went off to search for them. We all split up and mostly went alone, so none of us has an alibi. I and Kagakure searched the whole school and then Kosuri’s dorm room.”

 

“Did you search through the drawer~?” Karasu grinned widely.

 

“Yes.” Otome deadpanned.

 

“It was empty,” Kagakure added and Karasu laughed.

 

“Anyway,” Otome cleared his throat, “We found Kosuri’s Monopod there.”

 

“M-m-m-monopod!?” Fukura stuttered.

 

“What was her motive?” Akurami asked.

 

“It was Kagakure’s. Not relevant to the case.” Otome shrugged, “Then we wanted to go talk with Keshousun and Hataka, but they both were unconscious and Hanashisuma was dead.”

 

“Okay, so what can we deduce from that?” Akurami asked, nodding repentantly.

 

“Uh…” Fukura groaned, “It’s all too messed up!”

 

“I have a theory,” Nazomu said, looking at nothing in particular. “Kosuri was poisoned yesterday and died at night. Then the culprit hanged her body in her Lab and joined us for breakfast like nothing ever happened.”

 

“Oh! Oh! I have a better one!” Karasu shouted happily waving her hands, “The big bad culprit didn’t even know who died~!”

 

“What..?” Kagakure gasped.

 

“That makes sense.” Otome said, “If the culprit poisoned one of the dishes from yesterday’s dinner, they couldn’t know who would die from it.”

 

“No, it  _ doesn’t _ make any sense. Why would they risk like that? What would be a point of killing at all?” Akurami joined the argument.

 

“The Victim Motive?” Anko questioned.

 

“Exactly. The Victim Motive was the motive for this case, so the culprit couldn’t risk like that!”

 

“They needed to somehow narrow down the possibilities…” Otome thought for a moment.

 

“There was a lot of dishes yesterday… Anyone remember what Kosuri ate?” Kagakure asked.

 

“I do recall her eating canned pineapple and grapes,” Shiki said with her arms crossed.

 

“I think she ate fried rice with vegetables…” Akurami added.

 

“No, she definitely ate a chicken!” Kagakure joined.

 

“We won’t get anywhere like that…” Nazomu muttered.

 

Karasu eyed Hanzo and sighed, “Hey hey! Let’s play a fun game! It’s called ‘Let’s think about things both Tobiko-chan and Rika-chan ate you brainless idiots’~!”

  
  



	33. Class Trial 3

“What they both ate…?” Hoshii murmured.

 

“We have trouble remembering what Tobiko ate. How do we remember what they both did!?” Fukura added.

 

“You’re right,” Otome exclaimed, thoughtful, “We have no way of remembering this. Maybe we should focus on something else?”

 

“But what?” Otori asked.

 

“Maybe Rika-chan’s murder would get us somewhere?” Karasu proposed.

 

“I don’t think we should bother,” Nazomu deadpanned, “Monokuma said this Trial is for Kosuri. Hanashisuma’s death is meaningless.”

 

“You say we should just forget about her and let her murderer get away with this!?” Otori screamed, clutching her platform.

 

“Yeah, more or less. Don’t forget that we don’t know if there were two culprits or one. Maybe by solving Kosuri’s case we’ll solve Hanashisuma’s as well.” he shrugged.

 

“No. We need to talk about Rika-chan’s case, too.” Otori continued, “If there is one culprit, they definitely left some clues.”

 

“And what if there are two culprits?” Otome asked.

 

“Then don’t you think it’s better if we know that?”

 

“Not exactly. No offence, but who knows what would happen if Hanashisuma’s killer gets away with murder. And I really don’t want the Killing Game to continue, y’know.”

 

“But-”

 

“Geez, let’s just talk about Rika-chan and get it over with,” Karasu whined.

 

“H-huh!?” Otome let out a squeak and everyone turned to face him.

 

“Anyway,” Kagakure spoke up, “Hanashisuma died from a cut throat.”

 

“Yeah,” Tamari agreed, “Then, should we discuss the murder weapon?”

 

“It was a sharp object, right?” Akurami asked, “What could that be?”

 

“A knife?” Konan shrugged.

 

“A kitchen knife?” Nazomu added.

 

“That could be- wait,” Otome froze. He knew something was wrong, seriously wrong. But he couldn’t figure out what. For some reason, kitchen knife couldn’t be the murder weapon, but why?

 

The answer was just out of his reached. Just a little bit.

 

“What? You thought of something?” Kagakure asked, worry visible on his face.

 

“I don’t think it was a kitchen knife.”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“I don’t know… It’s just a hunch…”

 

“Because someone was in the dining hall?” Karasu suggested.

 

“Yeah!” Otome exclaimed enthusiastically, “It was you! You were eating your cereal, right!?”

 

“Ding ding ding~! Exactly!” Karasu laughed a little, “I’d see for sure if anyone entered the kitchen~”

 

“If not a knife, then what?” Kagakure muttered.

 

“Uh…” Akurami moaned, “There’s nothing else sharp enough…”

 

“W-what about… s-scissors?” Anko suggested.

 

“Scissors? But where-”

 

“Fukura’s Lab!” Otome exclaimed, “Sharp scissors are in Fukura’s Lab!”

 

“Then, the culprit is…” Kagakure trailed off and looked at Oshi, who was gripping her podium.

 

“I’m not a culprit! Everyone has access to my Lab!” she yelled, looking at her hands.

 

“No matter who, someone went to Fukura’s Lab and took the scissors to kill Hanashisuma. The question is: why?” Otome said.

 

“They wanted to have a free kill, right? Hanashisuma-chan was tied up…” Akurami suggested

 

“But why? Why would they even want to kill her?”

 

“To escape, right? To win the Killing Game…”

 

“But that wouldn’t happen. You win the Killing Game when you defeat all of us in the Class Trial. And the Class Trial isn’t held for the second murder.”

 

“Then they had the grudge against Hanashisuma herself…” Kagakure whispered.

 

“Does that mean the original victim was Hanashisuma and Kosuri died for nothing?” Nazomu asked.

 

“You mean, the culprit wanted to poison Hanashisuma but Kosuri ate the poisoned food instead?” Akurami gawked.

 

“No!” Fukura yelled at the top of her lungs, “That can’t be right!”

 

“So we’re back on the food topic, huh?” Otome murmured, ignoring Fukura’s outburst.

 

“Hey, now that I think about it…” Akurami said, “Keshousun-chan and Fukura-chan made yesterday’s dinner.”

 

“That’s right! I totally forgot about it!”

 

“Then, the culprit is either Keshousun or Fukura…” Nazomu murmured.

 

“I’m not the culprit!” Fukura screamed, “I’m not! I’m not! I’m not!”

 

“C-calm down, Fukura-chan,” Anko said gently, “N-nobody’s saying you a-are…”

 

“Yes, we do.” Nazomu deadpanned.

 

“I-I-I’m not…” Fukura whispered, then hung her head and fell silent.

 

“You are! You poisoned Rika-chan’s food yesterday!” Otori yelled but

Oshi didn’t even flinch.

 

“Why does no one accuse Keshousun?” Kagakure asked, “She could be guilty. She probably knows a lot about chemistry, since she’s patching up dead people. And she made yesterday’s dinner as well.”

 

“You do have a point,” Shiki said calmly, “I shan’t refuse, for saying I am not the culprit will not make me any less suspicious.”

 

“Woah, you’re awfully calm for a person who’s accused of murder,” Karasu commented with a carefree grin.

 

“I shall take that as a compliment.” Shiki shrugged.

 

“The scissors came from Fukura’s Lab. Also, she exited the dining hall during breakfast. I say she’s the culprit.” Nazomu stated.

 

Otome threw a glance at Fukura and Shiki. Oshi still had her head hanging low, visibly trembling, Keshousun, on the other hand, was straighten up with a calm expression.

 

“Fukura-chan? Do you admit you’re the culprit?” he asked gently.

 

“Of course not. I said I’m not...”

 

“Alright then. I’ll talk this case through and make you confess.”

 

[Closing argument: start]

 

The case started two days ago when Monokuma announced the Victim Motive. The culprit probably had Hanashisuma’s - one of the victims - which made them angry enough to kill. That’s when they thought of a plan.

 

I don’t know if the idea of poisoning came after the Rika Incident or it was a coincidence, but the culprit planned to poison Hanashisuma.

 

They asked Keshousun to prepare dinner with them and when her attention was elsewhere, they added poisoning plant found in Hanatsuki’s Research Lab to one of the dishes, hoping Hanashisuma would eat it.

 

What they didn’t expect, was that Kosuri would be the one to eat the dish, causing the culprit’s plan to break.

 

The culprit, certain that Hanashisuma would die, went to sleep that night and the following day, they went to breakfast, like always.

 

When they saw Hanashisuma there, they quickly thought of a new plan, but it required disposing of Kosuri’s body.

 

They noticed Hanatsuki exiting the dining hall and did the same, heading to Kosuri’s room. The culprit used Kosuri’s spare uniforms to tie up a ‘rope’ and hung Kosuri in her Lab. Then, they went off.

 

They showed up later, just after the body discovery announcement and proposed the idea to tie Hanashisuma. Fooled, we all agreed and went investigating, leaving Hataka and Keshousun at the crime scene.

 

The culprit headed to Hanatsuki’s Lab and prepared something sleep-inducing, then used it on Hataka and Keshousun.

 

Probably on their way from Hanatsuki’s Lab, they went to their own Lab to acquire a special item - the next murder weapon, scissors.

 

Tied Hanashisuma had no way of defending herself as the culprit sliced her throat to achieve her original goal - Hanashisuma’s death.

 

After they killed the linguist, they disposed of the murder weapon and joined the rest like nothing ever happened.

 

That’s the truth of this case. And the culprit is Fukura Oshi, the Ultimate Sewer!

 

[Closing argument: end]

 

They all hung their heads, comprehending what Otome said. Then, the silence got broken by Fukura herself, who giggled under her breath.

 

“Haha… Ha… Hahaha…” the giggles soon became louder, becoming a crazy laugh “Hahahahahah~!” she shook a little hugging herself, head still hung low. “I knew it… I knew it from the beginning…” she muttered, “It was so obvious, so obvious…”

 

“What do you mean?” Otome asked.

 

“I knew it…” Oshi laughed again, “You’re all just a bunch of bullies!”

 

“B-bullies!?” Akurami gawked.

 

“It was so obvious… From the beginning… I should’ve… Ahhh, it’s too late now, huh? That’s right! I KILLED THEM! THEY DESERVED IT! ESPECIALLY HANASHISUMA! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I DID IT!? FINE! I’LL TELL YOU!”

 

“You don’t have to yell, we all hear you…” Kagakure commented.

 

“She was a bully. My motive said so. She deserved to die!” Fukura clutched her hair and tugged it forcefully, “Poor excuse of a human, dirty, filthy bully, who enjoys bringing despair to others…”

 

“F-Fukura…” Otome mustered. He just couldn’t listen to it anymore, it was just a crazy gibberish he couldn’t comprehend. And judging from others’ expression, he guessed they had the same problem, “Cut it out!”

 

“Upupu~!” Monokuma interjected, “I guess you’re finished! Now then, it’s Voting Time!”

 

Like always, panels appeared in front of them and one by one they cast a vote. Meanwhile, numbers under Fukura’s photo increased, stopping at 9. Otome gawked a little when he saw a number under Rika’s photo increasing to 1. His gaze wandered to Fukura, who was still shaking.

 

“You got that right again! Yeah, you heard correctly - the culprit is Fukura Oshi-chan~! Now then, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Fukura Oshi, the Ultimate Sewer! Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIME!”

 

A metal hand appeared and took Fukura, like it did with Utsuri and Satoshi before and Otome could do nothing but watch in horror as the monitor showed her there, tied to some kind of cloth. The cloth was moving toward the giant sewing machine, bringing Oshi to her inevitable death. Soon, the girl got pierced with the needle multiple times, till she bled out.

 

[Class Trial: end]

  
  



	34. How did it happen?

Fukura ate her dinner slowly, not really paying attention. Her mind wandered to Satoshi. She remembered those precious moments. When they baked cupcakes, when they sewed together…

 

Ah, it was frustrating.

 

She felt something boiling inside her and every time someone tried talking with her, it exploded.

 

It was Shiki who helped her, if only just a little bit.

 

“May I join you?” she heard and looked up to see Keshousun with a plate full of food in her hands.

 

She only shrugged, not in the mood to deal with anything. She placed a fork on the table and leaned back in her seat. Her hand unconsciously touched her forearm. There, under the cloth, were scars. Small and big, thin and thick… All her frustrations, all her faults. All her disappointments.

 

“Everyone seems cheerful,” Shiki stated, causing Fukura to flinch.

 

“Good for them,” she answered angrily and went back to eating.

 

“Is something wrong? You are being awfully jumpy.”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“I thought we discussed it already. Smile, not pout.”

 

She forcefully put her fork on the plate. “I said ‘whatever’.”

 

“I see,” Shiki hummed and drank some of her coffee.

 

“Look, I’m sorry. I’m just really not in the mood.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Yeah, well… I’ve been thinking…”

 

“About what?”

 

“About everything-”

 

“I’m gonna head out now,” Otori said, interrupting everyone’s conversations and stood up to exit the room. But before she could do this, Monokuma appeared, blocking the way.

 

“Upupu~! Not so fast! I was hoping I could get everyone to listen to me, but well. Their loss. Since it’s so peaceful and stuff, I decided to announce the new motive now! Not tomorrow! It’s the Victim Motive! It’s being uploaded to your Monopods juuuust now!” Monokuma raised its arms into the air “Happy Killing everyone!” and it disappeared.

 

Everyone started looking at their Monopods, but Fukura couldn’t force herself to do the same. She was afraid of what she’d see. So she just stared at her food, listening to gasps of her ‘classmates’.

 

Suddenly, Kosuri cleared her throat, catching everyone’s attention. Fukura herself only stared at the athlete lazily.

 

“I think we should all tell each other what it says.” she pointed at her Monopod and Fukura really wouldn’t mind. But the others couldn’t say the same.

 

“No way,” Konan said forcefully and exited the dining hall angrily. Oshi jumped a little in her seat as the door made a loud ‘thud’.

 

“Um...” Tobiko stuttered, “Anyone?” she looked at them all with hope, but they one by one exited the room. Fukura hadn’t even thought about it. When she saw Shiki getting up, she just did the same, not really comprehending what was happening.

 

“Fukura-san?” she heard and suddenly realized she followed Shiki all the way to her room.

 

“Ah, I’m sorry, I’ll-”

 

“Is everything alright? You seem… apathetic…”

 

Was everything alright? No. Of course not. Everything about their current situation was wrong. The Mastermind - the person who trapped them there - forced them into Killing Game, enjoying themselves while they were hurting, frightened… The Mastermind was just a bully. They liked to see them suffer. They liked to see them scared.

 

Fukura clenched her fists forcefully, “I hate this Killing Game…” she said, looking straight at Shiki, “I hate everything about it! And most of all, I hate the Mastermind!”

 

“Fukura-san…” Shiki gently put her hand on Oshi’s shoulder, “Your knuckles turned white. You shouldn’t clench your fists so tight. It may cause-”

 

“I don’t care what it may cause!” she took a step back, causing Shiki’s hand to fall to her side, “I’m leaving,” she said and went to her room, regretting every word she said.

 

Later that night, she lied in bed looking at the ceiling, not able to sleep. Her mind was too loud, yelling at her for what she’s done. Shiki was just trying to help. Satoshi tried to help, too. And Satoshi died. And Shiki lived. Would Shiki die next? Would she die at all?

 

Groaning, she turned to lay on her side.

 

The Victim Motive got announced. What would that mean? Would someone die? The name suggested that it was motive meant to trigger someone. To make someone think some person was bad and kill them. But what would it be? What would make her ‘classmates’ kill? And what would make her kill?

 

“Ah…” she sighed and fished out her Monopod from under the pillow.

 

‘Hanashisuma Rika forced her friends to fight each other’ her motive said and she couldn’t help but laugh. What was wrong with this motive? Did Rika really do something like that? If so-

 

“Impossible…” she whispered under her breath. Rika wasn’t a bully. Fukura knew that much. Rika was gentle at heart. She wasn’t a bully material. She knew because she hated bullies with all her might. And she didn’t hate Rika.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The following day, Fukura trailed behind Shiki on their way to the dining hall for breakfast.

 

“Are you feeling better?” Shiki asked when they met.

 

“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. The motive left her unable to sleep, thoughts about Rika bullying someone lingering in her mind. That wasn’t true, was it?

 

“Do you think the motives are true?” she asked Shiki when they sat down at the table, just next to Rika and Tobiko.

 

“I believe they are. At least mine is.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“I asked,”

 

“Oh.” that sounded really easy. She could just walk up to Rika and ask. But how would Rika react? Would she get mad? Would she refuse? Rika seemed kinda straight-forward, so she’d answer bluntly ‘yes’ or ‘no’, right? That’d be soooo easy!

 

Fukura smiled to herself thinking of the lines she should say.

 

“Shut the fuck up!” she heard and looked up to see Rika and Tobiko arguing loudly. She felt kind of off at the sight, her stomach aching a little.

 

Ah, such bullies, those two…

 

Wait, what? Were they bullies? It seemed Rika provoked Tobiko. Was the motive true after all?

 

And then, there was punch and Rika fell to the floor. ‘Serves you right’, Fukura thought, but quickly pushed the thought aside.

 

She didn’t even notice Shiki standing up, but the girl quickly appeared, ending the argument.

 

‘Take your birth back’, Rika said. Those were very mean words. Very mean. Fukura felt hurt upon hearing them, not to mention how Tobiko must’ve felt. Somehow, she felt pity. And under the pity, there was anger.

 

“Keshousun-chan!” she called the tall girl when they all exited the dining hall.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Let’s make today’s dinner! To make everyone happy!”

 

And then, it was really supposed to be dinner. No poison included. But Fukura’s mind was a dark, dark place, where no kind thought could live.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Fukura spent about an hour waiting for Anko to exit her Lab with Akurami. But when they did, her frustration disappeared.

 

It was something that had to be done. She was doing it to stop everyone from fighting. She was a good person, she thought as she prepared the final ingredient to her dish. Deadly one.

 

“I’m back~!” she called to Shiki, who was preparing something, turned back to the door.

 

“Welcome back,” she replied politely but didn’t even turn to see Fukura.

 

‘Now’s the chance’, Oshi thought and quickly put the poisonous plant in one of the dishes.

 

“Haha… Ha…” she laughed under her breath thinking about the irony of this situation.

 

“We’re almost done,” Shiki called out and turned the oven off.

 

“Good. Let’s finish it up and wait for others.” she proposed and stood in the doorframe, looking at people entering the dining hall. There was Hanatsuki, Akurami, Nazomu, Hataka and finally! Rika!

 

“Haha~!” the laugh came out louder than she wanted it to, but Shiki completely ignored it either way.

 

“Here,” Shiki handed her one of the plates before exiting the kitchen. Fukura did the same.

 

“We decided to prepare dinner for everyone hoping it would bid adieu to all conflicts dividing our group,” Keshousun said and Fukura almost couldn’t hold back a laugh. It was just so ironic! But even though, she really hoped Shiki’s right. She really hoped that killing Rika would end the conflicts.

 

The two served everyone, not eating any of the dishes. Fukura kept a close look at the poisoned dish, waiting for Rika to eat it, but it seemed the girl didn’t plan on doing so. Fukura sighed and leaned back on the kitchen door frame. She felt kind of weird. There was excitement all over her, and then there was fear and she just couldn’t stop shaking. She watched her trembling hands for a moment, before looking up at the dish again. Some part of it was gone.

 

“Hah… Haha… Hahaha…” she giggled lowly, under her breath. Rika would die. She killed her. And there was no going back.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The following day, Fukura was the first one to enter the dining hall, Shiki joining her just after.

 

“Yesterday was fun~” she sing-sang when the tall girl put a coffee cup in front of her.

 

“Indeed. The idea was wonderful. Congratulations.”

 

The two chatted for a while, Fukura observing the door closely.

 

Did it work? Was Rika dead? Maybe she ate so little that it didn't affect her? Or maybe she’s just sick? Or maybe it wasn’t her who ate the dish?

 

The door opened and Akurami entered the dining hall, Rika just after her.

 

“Huh?” Fukura couldn’t help but gasp. What went wrong? Did she use a wrong plant? Did Rika not eat the dish? Did Rika eat too little? But when she looked at it last night, it seemed someone ate a lot… Certainly enough to die. That would mean someone else ate it.

 

Ah, bullies always got away with their acts, huh?

 

Rika would be the same. And Fukura was not okay with that. She was lucky and avoided being poisoned, but it wasn’t the end. Fukura would find a way to bring justice to this filthy, dirty bully.

 

“Where’s Kosuri?” Otome asked and Fukura counted everyone. Indeed, only Tobiko was gone. Too bad, she thought, Tobiko actually fought with Rika’s bullying. She didn’t deserve such an end. But what could Fukura do with it? Tobiko was probably dead by now. There was no going back.

 

Deep in thought, she still managed to notice Anko standing up and exiting the room. She probably went to search for Kosuri. That was bad. No one was supposed to find her before Oshi. So she quickly exited the room as well.

 

The first place she went to was Tobiko’s room, which turned out to be bull’s eye as she found it open, Kosuri lying on the floor, dirty with her own vomit.

 

“Ugh…” Fukura groaned but got to work nonetheless. She changed Tobiko’s clothes, tied a rope from her clothes and hung the girl in her Lab, completely forgetting to dispose of the ladder she used. Then, she got back to Kosuri’s room to wash the floor. She was just finished, when she heard the body discovery announcement and quickly ran to the ‘crime scene’.

 

After revealing Nazomu’s talent and tying Rika, they all split up to investigate, Fukura going alone straight to Anko’s Lab. She needed something sleep-inducing to finish what she started. And she would do this. No matter what. All bullies deserved to die, after all.

 

On her way back, she went to the dining hall, meaning to take one of the kitchen’s knives, but she was met with Karasu eating calmly a bowl of cereal.

 

“Oh, Fukura-chan~ Investigating?” the gambler asked, with a somewhat devilish grin on her face. Almost as if she knew. But that was impossible.

 

“More or less. And you?”

 

“Me, huh? I think I’m on to something. But eating comes first, don’t you agree? You know a lot about cooking, after all.”

 

“What…” Fukura gulped, “What are you suggesting?”

 

“Nothing at all.” the girl shrugged and stood up, “Don’t let me stop you from investigating.”

 

So Fukura ran. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. That freaking little bitch knew. But how? But why? That was not possible!

 

She stopped only when she reached her own Lab, grabbing a pair of scissors, not really thinking about it. Then, she ran again. When she got to Kosuri’s Lab, she almost got hit with the door. Almost. She managed to hide behind the wall.

 

“Perfect…” she whispered as she noticed it was Hataka who exited the Lab. Fukura slowly but surely tiptoed to the vet and used the sleep-inducing plant. Hataka fell to the ground, unconscious.

 

Then, Oshi entered the changing room. Shiki, who was still looking at the body, didn’t even turn around to face her as she made her way to the tanato cosmetologist.

 

“Watch out!” Rika screamed, tugging at the ‘rope’, but to no avail. Fukura was already behind Shiki, sending her to sleep. “You freaking murderer! What’s wrong with you!?”

 

Fukura laughed at that, walking slowly toward Rika, who was still tugging at Kosuri’s clothes with fear all over her face. “What’s wrong with me!? Are you serious!? But then again, what was I expecting from a bully?”

 

“Bully...? What the fuck are you talking about!?”

 

“I’m sorry, Hanashisuma Rika. It is something that has to be done.” she showed Rika her scissors and the girl tugged harder, “For the good of all.”

 

No matter how hard she tugged, Rika wasn’t able to defend herself. But that was alright. That was good. After all, all bullies deserved to die. And Fukura decided to do it. And there was no going back. No now, no never.

  
  



	35. Chapter 35

No one said a word as they exited the Trial Ground and went their separate ways. Otome’s mind wandered to Kagakure’s motive. ‘Fukura Oshi is a cutter’. When they first met, the girl seemed stable, perfectly fine, normal. She even encouraged them! Only after Satoshi’s execution that changed.

 

Had she become a cutter then? Or was she before? If so, how long? Why? At the thought of hurting himself, Otome felt chills wander down his spine. He could never do something like that. So how come Fukura could?

 

‘You’re all just a bunch of bullies!’ she said. Was she bullied before? Was this the reason she was doing it? Was it the reason she killed Kosuri and Hanashisuma?

 

It was all so messed up! He could never guess that bullying could lead to something like that. To being this unstable, this paranoid…

 

He felt pity.

 

And he hated it.

 

Fukura was a murderer. There was no excusing her. Utsuri killed by accident. Satoshi to save them all. But Fukura? She killed because she thought she could decide who can live and who cannot. She killed because she wanted to. Because she felt like a god.

 

And then again, she killed for what she believed was justice.

 

All these emotions boiled inside Otome, making him feel hot and cold at the same time. He didn’t even know how he got to the dining hall. But he did. He needed a drink.

 

As he opened the fridge in the kitchen and took a soda bottle he desperately hoped he would find something with... percentage there. But no. There was only soda and water.

 

He sighed, leaning on the doorframe, sipping from the bottle. Third Class Trial was behind them. They found the murderer three times in the row. But what would they do if there was another murder? Would they catch the culprit? And what if they wouldn’t? Would they all die?

 

The rules said so, but… it felt so surreal, so far away, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

“I was searching for you,” he heard Kagakure’s voice and opened his eyes to look at him. He didn’t even notice he closed them at all.

 

“I needed a drink.”

 

“Yeah, I can see that…” Kagakure took a bottle out of the fridge as well and leaned on the opposite side of the doorframe. “Quite the thing, this Class Trial, huh? Fukura went all crazy…”

 

“Yeah…”

 

The silence surrounded them and Otome welcomed it warmly closing his eyes. But his thoughts were loud, way too loud and he couldn’t stop himself from voicing them.

 

“What now? Monokuma will give us access to the next floor and then the next motive and someone will die again and then he will give us access to-”

 

“Bro… Don’t think about it. For now, we’re alive. That’s what matters.”

 

“How can I not think about it!? Seven of us died so far! It’s almost half of us! If it continues… I… It really won’t stop until there are only two of us left, huh? This Killing Game…”

 

“Not necessarily.”

 

“I can’t hold onto hope anymore. I don’t see any hope at all, mate…”

 

“Look, all we have to do is to stay alive. Alive to the end.”

 

“You mean…”

 

“Yeah. We… Me and you... will survive this Killing Game.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“You knew,” Akurami stated angrily, trailing behind Shiki, “You freaking knew it was her.”

 

“How could I?” she didn’t even turn to face the occultist as she walked down the hallway to the dining hall. The Class Trial made her hungry.

 

“You were there when she killed Rika!”

 

“I was unconscious,” she replied calmly.

 

“Before that! You must’ve seen Fukura-chan entering the room! If you were next to the body she had an entire room to walk before she attacked you!”

 

“I thought it was Hataka-san returning so I didn’t pay it much attention.”

 

“You ignored it!?”

 

The two were now standing before the dining hall door, Shiki finally turned to face Rikomu, “So what if I did?”

 

“Are you serious!?”

 

“Talking about it won’t change a thing. Accept that and move on.” she opened the door and walked inside.

 

Tamari and Hoshii were there, sitting at the table with soda bottles in hands.

 

“Oh, Keshousun, Akurami!” Otome greeted them waving his free hand. Kagakure just nodded at them.

 

“How can I ‘accept that’ when seven of us died!?” Akurami ignored them and continued her argument with Shiki.

 

“Arguing won’t bring them back,” Shiki said with a little more force than usual and went to the kitchen.

 

“What’s up?” Otome asked Akurami, who was standing at the door, visibly shaking.

 

“She knew from the beginning it was Fukura. She hid that fact.” she spat and sat down next to Kagakure forcefully.

 

“But… she was unconscious, right?”

 

“Fukura must’ve walked entire room to reach her! That was more than enough to see who was closing in!”

 

“Maybe you’re right…”

 

“Yeah, maybe you are,” Kagakure interjected, “But that doesn’t change a thing. We caught the culprit. We live. End of the story.”

 

“Yeah, well… Don’t you think we have to make things like that clear?” Akurami asked a little shocked and a lot calmer.

 

“I dunno,” he shrugged, “But accusing Shiki won’t bring us any good. She’s the one who examins bodies.”

 

“Why do you assume there will be another killing!? And we have Hataka-chan, so you don’t make any sense.”

 

“Whatever,” he shrugged again and sipped his soda. Shiki then exited the kitchen, carrying a plate full of food. She sat down at the table and started eating. The four of them chatted meaninglessly for a while. But they never mentioned Fukura’s case again.

  
  


* * *

  
  


A few hours later they all gathered in the dining hall for a dinner. But they didn’t even get to start eating, as they heard iconic Monokuma’s ‘upupu’.

 

“New Labs are open!” it exclaimed when it got everyone’s attention, “Ultimate Tanato Cosmetologist’s and Ultimate IT Specialist’s! Also, because you did so great at the Class Trial, a new floor is open! Have fun investigating!”

 

They ate faster than usual, eager to investigate. Only Otome chew his food slowly, thinking hard.

 

“Does that mean we’ll find new Flashback Light?” he asked Kagakure, but everyone heard.

 

“Now that you mention it…” Akurami muttered, “We’ve been given it last time, right? In the casino…”

 

“You think now we’d win another one there? Or is it hidden on the new floor?” Hoshii asked no one in particular.

 

“It’s better if we don’t find it at all…” Karasu murmured under her breath, only Otome hearing it.

 

“What do you mean?” he looked at her hesitantly.

 

The girl shrugged, “It’s obviously bullshit.”

 

“Wha-!? Bullshit?”

 

“Yeah, do you need me to spell it for you?” she groaned, visibly irritated.

 

“Why do you think so?”

 

“Well, why not?”

 

“Because it triggers memories. It’s helps us understand.”

 

“Yeah, well, it’s given by the Mastermind, so why should we trust it?”

 

Otome didn’t have a reply to that. He trusted Flashback Lights and he believed it to be right, but how could he explain it to Karasu? How could he show her how wrong she was?

 

“Okay, let’s go, bro,” Kagakure patted his shoulder and stood up.

 

“Sure,” he said and followed Hoshii out of the dining hall. The boy led him to the casino and played the MonoMono Machine. But the Flashback Light didn’t fall out. Not the first time, not the fourth.

 

“Fuck, I thought it would work!” Hoshii swore, kicking the machine.

 

“Well, we should go search for the new floor right?”

 

“Hey, now that I think about it, Monokuma didn’t give us any key this time.”

 

“Yeah, you’re right! Did he forget? Or…”

 

“Doesn’t matter, let’s just go.”

 

Otome shrugged and started checking every room on the floor. Soon, he found a staircase.

 

“Hoshii!” he yelled, and soon his friend joined him.

 

“Okay, that’s suspicious. You didn’t even have to knock around.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

But they went up nonetheless.

 

The fifth floor reminded Otome of a classic sci-fi movie. It was full of all kinds of computers, machines and other science stuff. There was a giant computer in the middle of it all, surrounded by smaller computers. And next to it, a long long table covered by a bunch of gadgets.

 

And somewhere among it all, there lied the Flashback Light.

 

“Oh, fuck!” Kagakure exclaimed, “It’s freaking amazing!”

 

“Could it be… your Lab?” Otome scratched his neck, intimidated by the room.

 

“Whoa! Look at this!” Hoshii pointed at the giant computer, completely ignoring him.

 

“Hey, bro!” he walked up to the table, noticing the flashlight.

 

“What?”

 

“Look,” only then Kagakure turned to face him.

 

“Good job! Now, turn it on!”

 

So he did.

  
  



	36. Chapter 36

While Ultimates were escaping the Ultimate Hunt, something happened. Something much much more dangerous than the despair.

 

Meteorites.

 

Bunch of meteorites fell down from the sky completely destroying the ecosystem.

 

New, unknown illness started spreading among people making them die, one by one.

 

Ultimates were humanity last hope. That’s why the government started the Gofer Project.

 

The Gofer Project - a plan to save humanity.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Shiki exited the dining hall as soon as she finished her meal, not bothering to even say anything to anyone. She wanted to find something, anything, that would help them escape.

 

Seven of them died.

 

Her job was related to dead people, so she could only help after the tragedy happens. She couldn’t save anyone. She could only bring despair to others.

 

The thought made her feel helpless. And she hated it. She just wanted to escape from this prison, from Monokuma, from Ultimates, from everything.

 

What good did her being bring when she couldn’t even save a single soul?

 

Her thoughts wandered again to Utsuri. Ah, how many things happened since she last heard this name... How many lives ended... How much despair…

 

She missed the boy she knew for only one day. She truly, utterly missed him. She missed everyone that died. Everyone that killed. But most of all, she missed him.

 

This school was so lonely without him. She was so lonely without him.

 

Everyone she managed to befriend died. First, Utsuri. Then, Karisuma. And now, Fukura.

 

Was she cursed?

 

It was laughable, but that was the only explanation she could think of. She would have to ask Akurami. Not that she believed any of this, but…

 

She just needed someone. Someone to outlive her. Someone unkillable. Someone who wouldn’t kill or die.

 

But that was just a wishful thinking. For in this Academy, there was no happiness.

 

In the end, they were all destined to die. To die here in this prison school at the hand of Monokuma and the Mastermind. Or each other.

 

Shiki wasn’t stupid. She knew they wouldn’t get out of here. Not alive. There was a reason the Mastermind locked them here and forced to kill each other. And that reason was to bring despair upon them.

 

Ultimates were symbols of hope. By forcing them to give up that hope they would take the hope of the whole world. So they weren’t supposed to escape. If they did, the hope would win. And that was something the Mastermind wanted to avoid. They wanted only despair. Only sorrow.

 

Shiki sighed and reached out to grab a handle of her Lab’s door. Thinking about it wouldn’t change anything. It would only make them drown in despair even more. And as a symbol of hope, Shiki would hold on to that hope until the end.

 

She smiled and opened the door.

 

And quickly regretted that.

 

It was some kind of morgue, drawers for corpses taking a whole wall. There were sixteen of them, six of them with red light, one of them with a yellow light and the rest with a green light. And, in the middle of the room stood an autopsy table. With something lying on it, covered with white sheet.

 

She walked up to it and took the sheet off.

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!”

 

It was Utsuri.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“What the hell!?” Otome heard Kagakure’s yell and slowly looked up. He wasn’t sure what to do, he wasn’t sure what to think… Just what the hell happened out there!? Meteorites!? Deadly illness!? Just- “What in the freaking hell!?”

 

“Calm down…” he said, apathetic. Yelling wouldn’t help anything. The world was already the mess, and there was no saving it. There was nothing to do anymore.

 

“How can I calm down when I’m told the world basically stopped existing!?”

 

“It didn’t ‘stop existing’. It’s just…”

 

“Completely and utterly destroyed. I know. I used the flashlight as well.”

 

“Geez, bro, I’m just trying to help! You don’t have to be so passive-aggressive.”

 

“Yeah, I know, I’m sorry… I’m just mad at nothing in particular.”

 

“I get it. Well then, what now?”

 

“I dunno… I really wanted to check this computer out, but now I kinda… don’t have the energy to do so.”

 

“Gonna go to sleep? There’s always tomorrow.”

 

“Nah, I’m not sleepy. Just… exhausted...  It’s like…”

 

“I know, bro, I know…” he patted Kagakure’s shoulder and the boy smiled tiredly.

 

“What about you?”

 

“I dunno,” he shrugged, “I really dunno.”

 

“Aaah, it sucks.”

 

“What?”

 

“Everything.”

 

The two stared at each other for a moment, “If you need anything…”

 

“Yeah, thanks. You too.”

 

“Now then… you gonna check the computer?”

 

“If I do, what are you going to do? I don’t want to leave you alone.”

 

“I’m gonna show everyone the flashlight. I’ll be okay.”

 

“If you say so. Good luck, I guess. Hope Karasu won’t steal it this time.”

 

And with that, he walked up to computer visibly not interested in continuing the conversation. Otome sighed and exited the room, holding the Flashback Light in his hand.

 

Keshousun probably would be in her newly opened Lab. Hanatsuki and Akurami in botanist’s Lab. But what about the others? Karasu, Hataka and Nazomu… Where would they be? Would they be together? And Otori… Would she be in her Lab? In Keshousun’s Lab?

 

Ah, now he kinda regretted not talking with anyone besides Kagakure. Especially with Nazomu. The boy was mysterious. Not only his talent but his whole being. It was surrounded by the fog of mystery. Karasu, Hataka and Otori, too, but… not like that.

 

Karasu was annoying, Hataka reserved and Otori mature. There was no feeling of depth when thinking about them. Of course, there must be something more to them, but it’s not showing itself. And Nazomu screamed ‘MYSTERY’, unlike them.

 

Cutting his line of thought, he knocked twice at the door to what he supposed was Keshousun’s Lab. He waited a moment, but no one answered. He grabbed the handle and turned it.

 

“Ah!” he gasped, his heart beating faster and faster and faster. There, on the floor was curled up Shiki, Otori next to her, rubbing the girl’s back.

 

Was she dead? Was there another killing? Would there be another Class Trial?

 

He panicked. He was about to scream when the realization hit him.

 

There was no body discovery announcement.

 

If Otori didn’t kill Shiki there was no killing at all.

 

But if she did kill her…

 

“Tamari-kun! Good you’re here!” the girl yelled and only then he noticed how panicked she was.

 

“What happened!?” he asked, confused.

 

“I don’t know! I went to investigate and found her like that…”

 

“I-is she…?”

 

“No, god no! She’s just unconscious.”

 

So she was alive. Good.

 

He felt that much lighter when he heard that. But still… What would make someone like Shiki faint?

 

He looked around the room. There were drawers for corpses. The kind you see in criminal movies. Six with a red light, one with yellow and the rest with green. Otome liked to watch movies about crimes, so he knew what each of them meant.

 

Green meant the drawer is empty.

 

Yellow that the drawer is open.

 

And red that the drawer is taken.

 

Then, his gaze landed on the autopsy table.

 

“Ah!” he gasped and covered his mouth.

 

Don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke, he told himself in his mind as he took a deep breath to calm down.

 

On the table lied Utsuri.

 

Otome’s mind quickly caught up on the situation.

 

Sixteen drawers. Six of them with a red light. One with a yellow.

 

“Oh, god…” he muttered.

 

The drawers were for them.

  
  



	37. Chapter 37

“Oh, god…” Otome muttered, shocked.

 

“What? What’s wrong?” Otori asked, looking at him with eyes wide open.

 

“The drawers… They’re for us.”

 

“The drawers?” only then Otori looked around the room, her expression quickly changing from confused to disturbed. “Oh… Oh my god...”

 

She stood up and shakily walked up to the autopsy table. “Oh my god…” she repeated.

 

“Exactly… Now, what do we do?”

 

“We need to tell the others.”

 

“What for? Look what happened to Keshousun!”

 

“They deserve to know! Their friends lie here, frozen, dead… and they can’t even know that? They can’t know what happened to the bodies?”

 

“And what good will that knowledge bring?” he made a gesture with his hand and only then realized he was holding the flashlight. Otori seemed to notice that, too.

 

“Where did you find that?”

 

“In Hoshii’s Lab. There are all kinds of sci-fi gadgets.”

 

“Did you use it?”

 

“Yeah, we did. And I think we all should.”

 

“Maybe we should all gather in the gym or the dining hall?”

 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. But what about her?” he nodded toward Shiki.

 

“I don’t know… I think we just have to wait. For her to see Utsuri… It really must’ve been a shock.”

 

“Yeah, considering what happened between them…”

 

“Anyway, go search for others. I will take care of Keshousun-chan and then we’ll head to the dining hall.”

 

“Okay,”

 

“Hurry. Soon it will be nighttime and we won’t be able to gather.”

 

“Okay,” and with that, he went off.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Konan went to search for Kagakure’s Lab but wasn’t able to find it. It wasn’t on the first floor, nor the second, nor the third…

 

“What a waste of time…” she muttered, climbing up the stairs to the fourth floor.

 

When she got there, she couldn’t help but feel amazed by the casino. No matter how many times she saw it, it always had the same effect on her.

 

But what was even the point of a casino being here? It was supposed to be school, right? So why casino?

 

The only explanation she could think of was to antagonize Karasu, but why? What made Yuki so special that the Mastermind wanted to antagonize her?

 

It could always be just her imagination. Maybe the Mastermind wanted them to have some fun in between killing.

 

Hah, that was a good one.

 

‘Fun’.

 

Her thoughts wandered again to Karasu. She was able to have at least a bit of fun only thanks to the gambler. If not her, what would Konan even do here? There was nothing more to investigate, nothing more to do. The only way to get out was to kill.

 

But Konan wouldn’t do that. Probably. Maybe.

 

Uh, now that she thought about it, Karasu was the one to keep her sane. Here, in this prison school what would she do without card games to play? Without chess matches? Without books? Without Karasu who supplied her with all of the above?

 

She would kill to get out. Probably. Maybe.

 

She walked up to one of the gambling machines in the casino and played it. Once, twice, trice. But without bad jokes Karasu made it was somehow boring.

 

“Konan?” she heard and turned to see Hanzo standing there.

 

“What?”

 

“Yuki disappeared again.”

 

“So what?” she asked but felt a peck of panic in her heart.

 

“Don’t ‘so what’ me. Help me with my search.”

 

“Why do you even care? She’s annoying, childish, selfish and mean. Who would want to-”

 

“Jesus Christ, Konan. If you haven’t noticed, she’s plotting something. And I want to know what.”

 

“What for?”

 

“You really don’t know? Look, she knows a lot more than we all do. And it’s suspicious. And I want to know more too. You know, to escape.”

 

Konan shrugged, “There’s no escape.”

 

“But you can’t refuse that she’s suspicious.”

 

“So what? I’m not her mother. And neither are you. Leave her alone.”

 

“Whatever. Forget I asked.” he turned to leave but stopped, “It’s not about being her mother, you know. I thought you’d understand. You’re as addicted as I am.” he said and resumed his search.

 

Addicted? Konan thought and sure enough, she found herself feeling uneasy.

 

What was Yuki plotting? What was she thinking? She desperately wanted to know.

 

Was it something that’d help everyone? Was it something she was just doing for fun? Was it a plan to escape? Was it a plan to kill?

 

She patted the gambling machine and went off in the direction Hanzo went.

 

One step. Two. Three. With each step, she went faster, in the end almost running. She needed to know. She needed to know what was Yuki planning. Even if it was something bad. Even if it was murder plan.

 

She checked almost every corridor in the school. There was no trace of Karasu or Hanzo. Nobody had seen them. Nobody knew where they were.

 

She was about to give up when she heard a weird sound. Something akin to hiss. She quickly went to the source of the sound.

 

There she was, Karasu Yuki, hitting the wall with a sob, each time hissing furiously and massaging her hand.

 

“What the fuck are you doing!?” but it wasn’t Konan who asked that. It was Hanzo, standing on the opposite end of the corridor.

 

Karasu quickly hid her hand behind herself and smiled widely, “Hanzo! Fancy meeting you here~”

 

“I asked what the fuck are you doing,” he said those words angrily, his eyes narrowed, as he took a few steps forward.

 

“Just chilling~!”

 

“Cut it out. I know you’re planning something.”

 

“So what if I do? You’re not my mother.”

 

“Maybe,” he walked up to Yuki and grabbed her hand forcefully.

 

Yuki hissed painfully trying to free her hand from his grip. “Fuck off!”

 

“You freaking sprained your wrist, idiot!”

 

“Huh?” Yuki’s face turned blank.

 

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. You sprained your wrist by hitting this wall. Why in hell would you do that?”

 

She furrowed her eyebrows, frustrated, “I sprained my wrist…” she muttered.

 

“Yes, you did.”

 

And her expression fell, “Fuck it…” she sobbed, a single tear flowing down her cheek. Hanzo quickly wiped it with his free hand.

 

“Why are you crying?”

 

“I-I…” more tears flew down, but Hanzo wiped each and every single one of them.

 

“You what?”

 

“I needed to… I wanted to…”

 

“What?”

 

“I wanted to expose the Mastermind…”

 

“By hitting the wall?”

 

“By getting hurt.”

 

“The Mastermind don’t care if you’re hurt. They want us to kill each other.”

 

Karasu shook her head, “You’re wrong. They care. If we’re hurt they will treat us. And I need to know. I need to know who the Mastermind is.”

 

“What? Why would they care? I don’t get it.”

 

Yuki laughed, “Are you stupid? We’re in the Killing Game.”

 

“Yeah, so?”

 

“What would be the point in Killing Game if there’s no audience?”

 

Konan couldn’t suppress a gasp as the realization hit her.

 

Karasu and Nazomu turned to her.

 

“Konan~!” Yuki called and waved at her.

 

“You mean…” the vet trailed off.

 

“Exactly. We are being watched.”

  
  



	38. Chapter 38

“What do you mean?” Konan asked, her voice squeaky. They were being watched, Yuki said, but by who? How? It was so surreal she couldn’t even begin to understand.

 

“Exactly what I said. Geez, you’re dumb.” Yuki freed her hand from Hanzo’s grip and folded her arms on her chest. Tears started to dry on her face making it feel weird.

 

“Can’t you, like, elaborate?” Hanzo reached to take Yuki’s hand again, but the girl took a step back.

 

“I-I…” she stuttered, then sighed, “I don’t think I can.”

 

“What?” Konan groaned. “You make this whole tragic scene just to tell us you won’t say anything!?”

 

“Back off!” Yuki placed her hands on her hips, “I didn’t ask any of you to come here!”

 

“You’re right.” Hanzo muttered, “But we’re here, so you should at least explain why you can’t tell.”

 

Yuki didn’t say anything for a while. She just watched Konan and Hanzo with a stoic expression. 

 

“So?” Konan asked forcefully, leaning in a little.

 

“Look, I’m as confused as you are. Maybe even more. I know things I’m not supposed to and I don’t really know what to do. So  _ please _ , just back off for a while. I’ll tell you eventually.” Yuki said those words quietly, unlike her usual cheerful way of speaking, looking at the floor. Konan was about to pry more, but the way Yuki spoke stopped her. There was something wrong. Something was happening that they were not aware of. So she just shrugged and turned to leave.

 

“Upupu~!” she heard and stopped immediately. Monokuma stood next to Yuki, smiling wickedly like usual. “I heard you had an accident, Karasu Yuki-chan~! Need help?”

 

Yuki nodded, not saying anything. 

 

“Now then, show me your hand~!” it said, opening the first aid kit box it took from nowhere in particular.

 

“Huh? Are you gonna do it here? Why don’t bring me to the infirmary?”

 

“You’re gonna complain? I can always leave you be.”

 

Yuki shrugged, “Whatever” and gave her hand to Monokuma.

 

“What in the hell is happening here?” they all heard and turned to see Otome standing there, the Flashback Light in hand.

 

“Karasu Yuki-chan had an  _ accident _ , am I right?” Monokuma answered mockingly.

 

Yuki didn’t say anything, looking at the floor.

 

“An accident?” Otome took a few steps toward them.

 

“Yeah, so?” Hanzo stood between Yuki and Tamari.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Not your business,” Nazomu leaned in a little.

 

Otome took a step back, “Okay. I just wanted to tell you we found the Flashback Light, so we should gather in the dining hall to use it.”

 

“No!” Yuki yelled, her eyes wide, “Don’t do this! You can’t use it!”

 

“Why?” Otome raised his eyebrow, looking at Yuki suspiciously.

 

“Because…” she trailed off, “Because we shouldn’t trust them. They’re made by the Mastermind.”

 

Monokuma then finished patching Yuki’s hand up and disappeared, saying something about killing each other.

 

“You say we shouldn’t trust it while I can plainly see how Monokuma’s helping you? How can I trust  _ you _ ?”

 

“You can’t,” she shrugged, “But it doesn’t matter if you trust me or not. I just need you to not trust the Mastermind.”

 

“And what if you are the Mastermind? I’d say you seem like one.”

 

Yuki sighed, “I don’t have the strength for this. Do what you want.”

 

“So…” Otome calmed down a bit, “You coming or what?”

 

“No, I’ll pass. Konan? Hanzo?”

 

“I’m coming.” vet answered and headed toward the dining hall.

 

“Uh…” Hanzo stuttered, looking between Konan, Yuki and Otome.

 

“You can go if you want. On the second thought, I think I’ll go too.” Yuki shrugged, took Hanzo by his hand and ran after Konan.

 

Otome sighed heavily. Dealing with Yuki always tired him, but today it was worse than usual. The girl was moody, confident and arrogant, knowing more than everyone and basking in her own glory. It angered him. A lot.

 

Why couldn’t she just tell them what she knew so they all could defeat the Killing Game? Instead, she chose to antagonize everyone and do nothing. Where was logic in this? 

 

Otome believed in the power of friendship, no matter how cheesy or stupid it sounded. If they all united to fight against the Mastermind they would have a lot higher chance of winning than when working alone. Right?

 

He solved three cases so far. He did this only because they were all working together. Hataka and Keshousun examined the bodies, Anko trashcans, the rest the whole school. Alone they wouldn’t be able to do so. The conclusion was obvious.

 

They needed to work together.

 

All of them. Including Karasu. Her knowledge would be life-saving, she only had to share it. And when facing problems, why not rely on them all? They were in this together, in this Killing Game. So why not trust each other? If they’d put their conflicts aside and ignored the motive, there would be no more killing.

 

No more killing…

 

Just a few days ago he lived a normal life of a high school student. There was no killing, no Class Trials, no Monokuma. And now? It scared him how used to those things he got.

 

And then, there were those memories from the Flashback Light… the Ultimate Hunt, meteorites, the Gofer Project… How come he completely forgot about something like that?

 

It was the Mastermind’s doing, he was almost sure. Almost, because there was no guarantee someone like that existed.

 

Of course, he believed so, but until he proves that, he won’t be sure.

 

He gripped harder the flashlight in his hand. The memories Flashback Lights triggered were their only hope of ever escaping this place. Not counting killing, but Otome would never ever kill anyone, so that was out of the list.

 

They needed to somehow corner the Mastermind, defeat them, but how?

 

Otome thought about it hard. So hard his head started hurting before he even reached his next destination - Anko’s Research Lab. He told to meet in the dining hall everyone besides Anko and Akurami, who he believed were there.

 

He knocked trice at the door before coming in, not waiting for anyone to respond. 

 

There, looking through a microscope, was Anko, Akurami sitting next to her, reading a book. When he entered the room, the two, almost in sync, looked up.

 

“Hey, um… Just wanted to tell you that we’re gathering in the dining hall to use it” he said, raising his hand with the flashlight.

 

“Okey dokey~!” Akurami sang closing her book and putting it on the table. Anko just bowed a little and walked up to him.

 

“Are we going or what?” Rikomu asked, following Anko.

 

“Ah, yeah yeah, let’s go,” he said awkwardly and led the way.

 

“So, where did you find this thing?” occultist asked folding her hands like she’d pray.

 

“In Hoshii’s Lab. Actually, he’s still there, working on the giant computer we found there.”

 

“Oh, that’s marvellous! I can’t wait to hear what he finds. And the Flashback Light! Everything’s going smoothly! That’s surely Kokopelli’s blessing!”

 

“You’re in a surprisingly good mood. Something happened?” 

 

“Well, we’re alive. I’m happy because of that.”

 

Otome’s heart skipped a beat. They were alive. But not all of them. He understood Akurami’s feeling - to some extent - but he couldn’t help but feel dread.

 

Who would die next? When? Why?

 

Maybe, just maybe this time no one would kill. Maybe, just maybe Monokuma wouldn’t reveal any motive. Maybe, just maybe… they would come up with a plan to escape. 

 

But was there a reason to escape at all? The outside world basically ended. Meteorites, the Ultimate Hunt… these things drained him from any hope he had left. 

 

Even if they escaped this prison school, the world wouldn’t welcome them with a warm embrace. It would crash them, swallow them, chew them and then spit them.

 

This was their reality. 

 

And yet, he found himself wanting, yearning to escape. To get out. To feel a cold breeze, to see a landscape different than the metal pipes surrounding them, to see his family, his friends… To live a normal life.

 

“Don’t you feel grateful?” Akurami asked and his feeling of dread almost caused him to choke.

 

Grateful? Why in hell should he feel grateful? He got kidnapped, his memories got tampered with, he was forced to see dead bodies of his classmates, to solve cases and destine others to die.

 

There was no single thing in this Academy he should be grateful for.

 

“Why should I?” he muttered, not being able to raise his voice.

 

“You get to live. And if you live, you can always fight against this situation. You should be grateful you’re still alive.”

 

“I… see it differently.”

 

Akurami shrugged, “I can’t force you to change your point of view.”

 

“Indeed.” 

 

But it wasn’t time for it. They were about to enter the dining hall. 

 


	39. Chapter 39

When Otome, Anko and Akurami entered the dining hall, they were met with everyone besides Hoshii waiting for them. Even Keshousun and Otori were already there. The group was sitting at the table, chatting meaninglessly. 

 

“So, are we gonna use it or what?” Otori asked, inpatient. 

 

Otome looked at her for a moment, thrown back. Since when was Otori like that? She always seemed mature and calm, not the type to nudge and pry nor pressure anyone. But then again, they were in the Killing Game. She could be broken already.

 

Now that he thought about it, they all could be broken. Crooked by Monokuma’s Game, wicked and cruel. Ready to kill. 

 

His heart skipped a beat as he forced a smile and raised his hand with the flashlight.

 

“You ready?” he asked, his eyes darting between everyone. Each of them nodded, their expressions stoic.

 

Otome calmed his breath and turned the flashlight on.

 

Suddenly, they all froze, eyes unfocused, glazed off. Tamari looked at them confused. Was this how the flashlight worked? Was it the same with him and Kagakure? With everyone that used the flashlight?

 

His mind wandered to the situation from a few days prior. He and Kagakure used the flashlight from the MonoMono Machine and when they got out of daze Nazomu and Hataka were already there. How much time had passed then? A few minutes? Maybe more?

 

This was bad, he thought. Someone could get killed while in this daze.

 

Wait, but why? Why would anyone want to kill? Why did he assume the killing would happen again? 

 

This was bad. They all probably thought the same. That there’s no preventing the Killing Game. That it started and would remain until there’s only two of them left.

 

Probably tomorrow Monokuma would announce the new motive. And then… then surely someone would die.

 

He didn’t want that. Not at all. But they were past three Class Trials. The fourth would surely happen.

 

He sighed, somehow exhausted. This whole situation was just so… tiring. He was about to sit down on one of the chairs when the door to the dining hall opened.

 

“Hey, bro,” Kagakure said entering the room.

 

“Got anything?” Otome asked, sitting down.

 

Hoshii sat down next to him, “Kinda. More importantly, why is everyone like that?”

 

“Ah, you see, we used the Flashback Light. It seems it works this way.”

 

“So, we were frozen, too, that day when Hataka and Nazomu appeared?”

 

“Uh huh.” he nodded. He wasn’t really in the mood for talking. He just wanted to lay in his bed and do nothing. But there were grounds to investigate and Killing Game to defeat. They didn’t have time for rest.

 

“So, I think I found something, but I don’t quite know what to do with it,” Kagakure said with a troubled expression.

 

“What do you mean?” Otome asked, but Kagakure didn’t even have time to respond, as the rest started waking up from the daze.

 

“What the fuck…?” someone muttered and the rest followed.

 

“What does that mean? This memory…” Akurami blurted, holding her hands in silent prayer.

 

“The Gofer Project… What is it? Why is this memory so incomplete?” Otori joined.

 

“That illness that got humanity almost extinct… We don’t have it, do we?” Shiki added.

 

“Aaa, it’s confusing!” Akurami tugged at her hair. 

 

“W-We need to t-talk this through. Like d-during the Class Trial…” Anko proposed, hesitantly looking at everyone.

 

“That’s a good idea!” Akurami cheered, “So, we all remembered that illness and the Gofer Project, right?”

 

“Indeed,” Shiki nodded, “The Gofer project was a plan to save humanity. But we know only that about it. We don’t have any specific pieces of information.”

 

“What connection do we have with it?” Konan asked, rubbing her chin. No one answered.

 

“What would save humanity anyway?” Kagakure broke the silence after a moment, “This illness is spreading fast and there’s no cure for it. We’re doomed.”

 

“We’re not ill yet, I think, so the Gofer Project worked...?” Shiki murmured, dropping her polite way of speaking.

 

“So we’re the last humans alive…?” Akurami wondered out loud, her eyes widening.

 

“And here we are, killing each other~” Karasu laughed, “Such despair, huh?” she added so low Otome barely heard it. He supposed he wasn’t meant to. No one was. It was just Karasu talking bullshit like always.

 

“Hey, maybe it went like that,” Kagakure started, “We were participants of the Gofer Project, but the Remnants of Despair hijacked the mission and wiped our memories clean?”

 

“That sounds plausible…” Otome agreed, “So if that’s the truth… how do we escape? How do we end the Killing Game?”

 

No one answered.

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

They didn’t even look at the monitor, too focused on despair they were feeling.

 

**“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. It is now 10 p.m., which means it’s officially nighttime. Soon, door to the dining hall and the gym will be closed. Good night, sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”**

 

Despair. 

 

Despair.

 

Otome had an uneasy feeling each time he thought about it.

 

Despair.

 

Something was seriously wrong. But what? Why does it sound so… familiar? So right?

 

One by one they exited the dining hall. But Otome didn’t even flinch. He was too caught up in his thought.

 

Despair.

 

Junko Enoshima. The Ultimate Hunt. Remnants of Despair. The mysterious illness. The Gofer Project.

 

And it all was connected by the feeling of despair.

 

Why was despair so important? Why was it everywhere?

 

He didn’t know. He didn’t know. He didn’t know.

 

But he needed to find out.

 

“Kagakure, wait!” he called out, getting up from his chair. Hoshii was standing at the entrance, looking at him with concern.

 

“What is it, bro?” he asked when Otome walked up to him.

 

“You said you found something… I need to know what.”

 

“Well, yeah, but I wanted to tell it to everyone. During breakfast.” he scratched his neck nervously.

 

“I need to know.”

 

The two looked each other in the eyes. 

 

“Why?”

 

“I don’t know. I have this uneasy feeling and I just need to do something or else I’ll lose my mind…”

 

“Okay. Whatever. There’s a program called ‘Neo World Program’ on the computer. It’s something akin to virtual reality, really. It’s just… a little more complicated. I think it allows us to wipe memories clean. Like, totally.”

 

“Oh, God… Are you suggesting the Mastermind erased our memories using this Neo World Program?”

 

“I believe so. I’ll work on it this whole night. Maybe tomorrow I’ll know more.”

 

“Sure… uh… Do you need company?”

 

“No, I’m fine. Thanks, bro.”

 

“Yeah, well… Goodnight, I guess.”

 

“Goodnight.”

 

With that, he went back to his room and let himself be lulled by the silence to sleep.

  
  


* * *

  
  


He woke up to the morning announcement, like always. He lazily got up and got ready for the day. 

 

When he got to the dining hall, it was almost empty. Only Akurami and Anko were there, eating their meal. He greeted them and prepared his own breakfast.

 

“Where’s Kagakure-kun?” Rikomu asked when he sat down at the table.

 

“Ah, he’s probably sleeping. He worked on the computer whole night.” he shrugged.

 

“I wonder if he found anything…”

 

“I-I think that i-if he did, he’d share it i-immediately,” Anko interjected timidly.

 

“Y-yeah…” he stuttered, thinking back to the conversation they had the day before. Kagakure indeed wanted to share what he found out, but not  _ immediately _ . The boy wanted to wait for the right moment, when they’re all gathered together and ready, not frightened and unstable.

 

But would that right moment ever come?

 

“I’ll check up on him,” Otome said and exited the dining hall in a hurry, not even cleaning his dish.

 

They should tell everyone about this ‘Neo World Program’ as soon as possible. Even if they’re not gathered, even if they’re not ready. They didn’t have time for playing around. They needed to act. Now. Before next murder occurred.

 

Otome didn’t even bother knocking - he just burst through the door to Hoshii’s Lab, fully expecting the boy to still be there, working.

 

And sure enough, there he was. Lying on the floor.

 

Not moving.


	40. Chapter 40

“Kagakure!” Otome yelled at the top of his lungs, suddenly feeling very cold. Hoshii wasn’t dead, was he!? No no no no, he couldn’t! He just couldn’t be dead! He couldn’t leave Otome alone like that!

 

“Hey!” he yelled again, crouching next to the boy, shaking him violently.

 

Hoshii stirred and groaned a little making Otome’s heart feel lighter than ever before.

 

Suddenly, Hoshii sat up with a gasp, hitting Otome with his head. The boy lost his balance and landed on his butt.

 

“Where are they!?” Hoshii yelled, completely ignoring what had happened.

 

“Who? What are you talking about?”

 

“Someone attacked me last night,” he explained, calming down. “I was working on this computer and someone entered the room. I thought it was you, checking up on me, so I didn’t pay much attention, but then they hit me in the head with something.” his eyes landed on a metal sci-fi looking thing lying on the floor, “Probably with this.”

 

“Do you know who it was!? I’ll find them, and-”

 

“Calm down. I didn’t see their face, nor heard their voice.”

 

“Didn’t you see anything? Literally anything!?”

 

“No.”

 

“How are we supposed to find them like that!?”

 

“I don’t know!”

 

“Wait, they left the weapon behind, right? Maybe Hanatsuki could check the fingerprints!”

 

Then Kagakure laughed, actually laughed, and patted Otome’s head, “We’re not in some kind of detective story, y’know”

 

“I know that! It’s just… what if it was supposed to kill you? I-I don’t want to think about what I’d do without you…”

 

Kagakure didn’t answer. He just looked at Otome with an unreadable expression.

 

“Too cheesy…?” Otome tried joking, but Kagakure just averted his eyes, looking at the floor. “Kagakure?”

 

“It’s nothing.” he said eventually, “I just didn’t expect you to say something like that…”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“No no! I meant it in a good way!”

 

“H-huh?”

 

“Anyway… I examined the computer almost the whole night and-”

 

“Wait, are we completely ignoring that attack!?”

 

“What I have to say is more important.”

 

“Okay… If you say so…”

 

“The Neo World Program is, like I said before, a virtual reality. It’s some kind of simulation, that allows us to erase memories.”

 

“You said that yesterday.”

 

“Yeah, I know. Just listen, would you? What I found is that it allows us to overwrite memories, not only erase them.”

 

“O-overwrite!? Then…”

 

“We could have fake memories. Yeah.”

 

“Oh, God… We need to tell the others.”

 

“I don’t know about that.”

 

“What? Are you saying we should pretend we don’t know something like that!?”

 

“It would cause panic, y’know. And we don’t want it to happen. While you’re panicking, you can do stuff you wouldn’t normally do.”

 

“You have a point, but… We shouldn’t hide things this important.”

 

“We don’t have a choice. We need to protect everyone.”

 

“By lying to them!?”

 

“If it helps then yeah, by lying to them. It’s not like we haven’t done that before.”

 

“And look how it paid off! If they find out, they won’t trust us ever again.”

 

“We don’t need their trust. We just need their safety.”

 

“But…”

 

“No buts. We’re not telling them.”

 

“...okay,” Otome sighed, “But we’re finding whoever attacked you.”

 

“Sure,” Kagakure stood up and offered Tamari a hand. The boy took it, and soon they were looking around the Lab for clues.

 

“What were you doing with that computer anyway?” Otome asked, sorting through all the sci-fi looking things lying on the table.

 

“Just tried to crack the Neo World Program. It’s not that easy actually.”

 

“I see. Well, why do you think they attacked you? Did they know what you found out? Or what were you working on?”

 

“I don’t know, man. I think they might’ve known, but how? They must’ve overheard our conversation or something…”

 

“Yeah… But knowing what we were talking about… Who would be angry enough to kill you?”

 

“Uh…”

 

“Oh man, mate. What if it was the Mastermind?”

 

“The Mastermind?”

 

“They overheard what you said to me and thought you were dangerous, so they tried to eliminate you.”

 

“Sounds surprisingly plausible.”

 

“So we’re back to needing to find the Mastermind… But how..?”

 

“I don’t know… All we know is that there is someone called the Mastermind and that they are somewhere in this school. But where?”

 

“Wait, how do we know they are in this school?”

 

“Well, that’s just my guess. They need to be close and there are those metal pipes surrounding us, so…”

 

“I see… That could be it. Let’s search the school, then.”

 

“We already searched. And didn’t find anything.”

 

“Well, we could’ve missed something.”

 

Kagakure then sighed heavily, “Ladies first” he joked pointing at the door.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Konan didn’t sleep well that night. She tried really hard, counting sheep and stuff, but in the end, she spent entire night wide awake. She didn’t even notice when she finally got some sleep, but when she woke up, it was way past the morning announcement.

 

The dining hall was empty when she got there to make some pasta for breakfast.

 

“Hataka-chan? What’s up?” she heard and turned to face the kitchen entrance.

 

“Akurami,” she greeted the girl with a nod, “Without Hanatsuki, I see.”

 

The girl narrowed her eyes, “And you without Karasu-chan, I see.”

 

Konan shrugged and turned again to check on her pasta.

 

“Sorry,” Akurami sighed, “Anko is in her Lab, like always. I got here to grab a bite.”

 

“I see.”

 

“What about Karasu-chan? I haven’t seen her lately.”

 

“Me neither.”

 

“Seriously? Well, maybe I should check up on her.”

 

“Don’t bother. If she doesn’t want to be found, you won’t find her. She’s good at hiding.”

 

“Oh. I see. Hope she’ll be fine.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“So, what about you? Are you fine?” the girl stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge to take out a soda bottle.

 

“As fine as can be. What about you?”

 

“I see,” she cracked a smile, “Well, me too, I guess.  A lot of us died and… I’m just glad it’s not Anko. You’re the lucky one, too. And Otome-kun. Keshousun-chan not…”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Oh, god, now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Keshousun-chan, too. Maybe we should check up on her?”

 

“Do what you want. I’m gonna eat breakfast first.”

 

“Whoa- Breakfast!? It’s almost nighttime, you know…”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“A-Anyway, I’ll wait for you. I’m a little scared to go alone.”

 

Konan shrugged and turned the cooker off. She ate slowly, without a rush, while Akurami drank her soda next to her. When she was done, the two of them went to Shiki’s dorm room and knocked at the door.

 

No one answered.

 

“Maybe she’s in her Lab?” Akurami suggested, sipping on her soda. So they went.

 

They didn’t knock on the Lab door, a little scared of what they might find. Akurami smiled sweetly at Konan, pointing at the handle. Vet sighed and opened the door.

 

“Huh…” Akurami sighed before going in. “Oh?”

 

The Lab was empty.


	41. Chapter 41

“Aah, I’m beat!” Otome said, sitting down on the floor in a middle of a corridor.

 

“We searched literally everywhere,” Kagakure agreed, rubbing the back of his head, “And my head is killing me.”

 

“Maybe we should check if there are any pills in the warehouse? Plus, we didn’t check the casino yet.”

 

“Good idea. Let’s go to the warehouse. But not casino, lights are too bright there. And I don’t think the Mastermind would hide in a place like this.”

 

“Maybe. But I’d like to go there either way. I have this gut feeling, y’know.” Otome patted his belly and got up, “So, the warehouse?”

 

Kagakure nodded and followed Tamari, “I don’t think your gut feeling is any evidence here. You’re probably just hungry. We haven’t eaten anything since we started searching.”

 

“And we made this sacrifice for nothing. We didn’t find anything. Hidden rooms, passageways, any clues pointing to another person being here. It’s almost as if the Mastermind doesn’t exist.”

 

“Maybe they don't. It was just a guess that someone like that is here. Maybe we’re alone.”

 

“No, someone like that must be here, somewhere. And we’ll find them.”

 

“Whatever you say,” Kagakure shrugged and opened the door to the warehouse.

 

“Wow, what an enthusiasm.” Otome laughed, “Now, let’s find some pills for you.” They split up and search the cases for any medicine.

 

Otome was going through aisles mindlessly, thinking about their search. They spent almost whole day examining every inch of the school. All classrooms, all Labs, all rooms in general. But they didn’t find any clue. Literally nothing.

 

Have they missed something? Maybe they didn’t search closely enough? But they did their best. Either they missed something or there were no more secrets in this school. But that couldn’t be it. There must be some new grounds to investigate after next Class Trial. So to find the Mastermind, they must kill..?

 

“Hey, bro! I think I found something!” he heard Kagakure yelling and quickly went up to him.

 

“What is it?” he asked but didn’t have to wait for a reply. There, before them was standing a case full of all kinds of medicine. There were even antibiotics. “Oh god. How did we miss it?”

 

“We never searched this place.”

 

“Right.”

 

Kagakure took one of the painkillers and turned to face Otome with a smile. “So, what now?”

 

“Casino?”

 

Kagakure’s smile faded, “I don’t really like that place. And really, there’s no way the Mastermind is hiding there.”

 

“I think we all don’t like this place in general. But we need to find clues to escape.”

 

“No. We need to kill to escape.”

 

“I won’t accept that. Killing is bad. It’s very, very bad. Don’t even think about it. It’s what Monokuma wants from us.”

 

Kagakure was silent for a moment, before showing Otome sad, broken smile, “Remember what you said to me earlier? That you don’t know what you’d do without me?”

 

“What about it?”

 

“I… don’t know either.” he grabbed Otome’s hands, “So please, don’t leave me.”

 

“I don’t plan on that.”

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

**“It is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. It is now 10 p.m. which means it’s officially nighttime. Soon, door to the dining hall and gym will close. Good night, sleep tight! Don’t let the bed bugs bite!”**

 

“Let’s go get some sleep. We can go back to searching for the Mastermind tomorrow.” Otome said and freed his hands from Kagakure’s grip.

 

“Hey!” Kagakure grabbed his wrist.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“I-I… Can I sleep in your room? I-I’m scared.”

 

Slowly, Otome raised his hand and put it on a back of Kagakure’s head. “Of course.” he smiled, 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Oh, it’s nighttime. I can’t believe we spent so much time searching for her.” Akurami said, leading the way to Otori’s Lab. It was next on their list after Tamari’s and Karasu’s.

 

“Why are we doing it?” Konan asked, irritated. Akurami was dragging her from Lab to Lab in search for Shiki for at least two hours now.

 

“Because I’m worried about Keshousun-chan, of course.”

 

“Why I’m here, then?”

 

“Because I’m scared to go alone, of course.”

 

Konan rolled her eyes but didn’t object anymore.

 

“What are you scared of?”

 

“We’re in a Killing Game, duuuuh”

 

“Monokuma haven’t announced a new motive yet.”

 

“So what?”

 

“Usually, killing happens after that.”

 

“Okay. You know, you always do things alone, or with Karasu-chan and… I think I just wanted you to hang out with me..?”

 

“Oh. Uh… thanks, I guess?”

 

Akurami laughed, “You’re welcome.”

 

The two were almost at Otori’s Lab, sweet music already audible.

 

“She’s really good, huh?” Akurami said, “Maybe we should do another concert?”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

 

“Would you like to?”

 

“I guess.”

 

Akurami laughed again and opened the door to Otori’s Lab without knocking. There, Misaki was sitting in one of the armchairs, playing some sad song to accompaniment from the CD player. She didn’t stop playing as they entered the Lab.

 

“Hey, Otori-chan? Have you seen Keshousun-chan lately?” Akurami asked and Otori only shook her head, still playing, “She’s not in her room, nor in her Lab… I’m worried.”

 

Still playing, Otori opened her eyes and looked at them, visibly not interested, “She probably just locked herself in her room, like after the first Class Trial.”

 

“You… think so?” Akurami took a step back. “I haven’t thought about that…”

 

“She has a tendency to hide,” Otori explained, still playing.

 

“We should check her room once again.” Akurami decided and ran out of the room. Konan followed her.

 

“It’s freaking locked!” Rikomu yelled, turning a handle to Shiki’s room. “Keshousun-chan! Open up!” she shouted, still fighting with the handle.

 

“Calm down.” Konan patted her shoulder.

 

“How can I calm down when she’s not opening!? Keshousun-chan!”

 

“What the fuck is going on here!?” they heard a voice and turned around to face Nazomu. He stood there, visibly angry, glaring at them.

 

“She’s not opening!” Akurami yelled, turning the handle once again.

 

“Maybe she’s not there?”

 

“Then where!?”

 

“I don’t fucking know! Just shut up and go to sleep! You’ll search for her tomorrow.”

 

“I-I…” she hung her head, “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about her.”

 

“She’s fine. She probably just doesn’t want to talk with anyone. Leave her be.”

 

Akurami nodded lightly, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Good.” he turned around and went to his room, leaving Akurami and Konan in the hallway.

 

“Akurami?” Hataka took a step forward, “Are you alright?”

 

The girl straightened up and smiled, “Sure. I’m sorry… I dragged you from place to place for so long…”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“I’m going to sleep. You should too. Oh, wait, you slept an almost whole day, so I don’t know. I’m tired, so I can’t keep you company.”

 

“That’s fine. I’m gonna read a book or whatever.”

 

Akurami smiled again, “Good. Well then, have a nice time~” And with that, she was gone.

 

“Now then…” Konan muttered and walked up to Yuki’s door.

  
  



	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the thing - I have absolutely no idea if what I wrote here is correct. I've never even seen a dead body, not to mention a rotting one, so I have no knowledge about this sort of thing. Hope you understand.

Konan took a deep breath before knocking at the door to Yuki’s room. She waited a moment but was met with no reply.

 

She knocked again, harder. But no one answered.

 

Again. She heard some noises through the door.

 

Again.

 

“Jesus Christ, what do you want!?” she heard before the door opened, revealing very sleepy-looking Yuki standing there. She was wearing only her shirt and underwear and had a horrible bedhead. Konan couldn’t help but giggle.

 

“You look… funny,” she said in between her laughs.

 

“Well, thank you. Is this why you woke me up? To tell me I look ‘funny’?” Karasu put her hands on her hips, trying to look intimidating.

 

“You were sleeping? It’s only a few minutes past the nighttime announcement.”

 

“I was tired so I went to sleep. Is it good enough reason? Can you now tell me what do you want?”

 

“Okay. Sorry. But first, stop being so passive-aggressive. It’s hard to deal with.”

 

Yuki didn’t answer. She just stood there, looking Konan in the eyes. “Well?”

 

“Oh, right. You’ve been acting… strange. I mean, stranger than usual. I know you told me that you can’t say why, but…”

 

“Uh huh, I did say that.” 

 

“So… maybe… there’s something I could do…?”

 

Just a few days ago, Konan wouldn’t bother. She’d just go away, leaving Yuki alone, or wouldn’t come here in the first place. But now, she felt the urge to do something. To help. This Killing Game changed her. Yuki changed her. For the better or worse, she didn’t know.

 

But that didn’t matter now. What was important, was to defeat the Mastermind. That was their priority. Their only objective.

 

“Why?” Yuki’s voice was so soft and quiet she almost missed that. Why, indeed? Why was she standing here, trying to help a person that doesn’t want that? Why did she care so much?  

 

“I don’t know...” and sure enough, she was as confused as the gambler. She’d never thought she had that much determination in herself.

 

And suddenly, there was door before her face, being shut forcefully.

 

“What the fuck…?” she muttered as she felt anger buzzing up inside her. She was being nice and supportive and Yuki had no right to act that way towards her. Not when she was doing something that much out of character.

 

She was about to go off when the door opened again.

 

“Neeheehee~ Did I anger you?” Yuki teased, now dressed properly in her usual uniform. 

 

“Couldn’t you just say you wanted to get dressed instead of acting like a brat?”

 

“No can do!” Yuki shouted and started heading towards the exit.

 

“Hey!” Konan ran up to her and was about to grab her shoulder when Yuki turned to her, escaping her grasp.

 

“Follow me~!” she sang and ran.

 

“Where are we going?” Konan asked, running just behind the gambler. 

 

“To the casino!”

 

“Why casino!?”

 

“I like it there~!”

 

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

 

Suddenly, Yuki stopped, “Today we play. For tomorrow, we fight.” she said, still turned back to the vet.

 

“That sounded very unlike you.” 

 

“Neeheehee~!” Yuki laughed, finally looking at Konan.

 

The rest of their way to the casino was silent. They walked arm in arm, full of thoughts. Konan glanced occasionally at Karasu, feeling uneasy. It seemed she somehow help her, but is that really so? She was smiling slightly, humming under her breath. Almost like before. Almost as if everything was alright. But it wasn’t. There was something going on and Konan didn’t know what.

 

‘Tomorrow we fight’. Those words lingered in her mind, making her stomach churn. What was this fight Yuki mentioned? Was this a battle against the Mastermind? If so, did Yuki have some kind of plan? Did she know what she was about to do at all?

 

“Geez, it’s annoying.” she heard and jumped a little, startled. They were almost at the casino, making their way up the stairs. She didn’t even notice how far they went, too occupied by her thoughts.

 

“What?”

 

“Your expression,” Yuki said, sticking her tongue out her mouth.

 

“Is that so,” she answered, not really paying attention. She felt… nervous. Weird. She didn’t know how exactly. It was strange, almost as if she was disconnected from reality, but at the same time her emotions flooded her, overwhelmed her. 

 

“As I said, today we play. So stop thinking and hurry up.” Yuki shoved her playfully and ran faster. Konan didn’t have much choice but to follow.

 

“What will we do tomorrow? What is this fight you mentioned?”

 

“You’ll see tomorrow~!” 

 

“But-”

 

“Do you smell that?” Yuki stopped in her track, making Konan stop as well. The girl slowly raised her hand to her mouth, taking a step back.

 

“What do you- ough. I do. What is this smell?” 

 

“I think… I think we both know.” gambler sighed slightly and, still covering her mouth and nose, led the way through the casino to one of many rooms.

 

There was no doubt. It was the stench of rot. Konan knew it well, as she encountered dead animals many times before. And then, she realized.

 

Someone died here. At least a few days ago.

 

“Wait-! Are we really going there?” she asked Yuki, who was just next to the doorframe to one of the casino rooms, taking small, unsteady steps towards it.

 

“I think it comes from here. We have to.” Yuki pointed at something Konan couldn’t see and completely ignoring her, she stepped closer. “Ugh,” she muttered under her breath as she made her way to one of many gambling machines present in the room. “Oh, shit-!” She reached behind it.

 

Yuki pulled something. It fell down to the floor.

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

“Oh, God…” She muttered.

 

**“A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, a Class Trial will begin”**

 

It was Shiki.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Otome was on a verge of falling asleep when monitors turned on. He was lying in his bed next to Kagakure, with his back turned to him. The bed was made for only one person to sleep there, so they had very little space. Their backs touched slightly, enough to make them feel each other presence but not enough to be uncomfortable. Otome rubbed his eyes groggily.

 

“Is it morning already?” he muttered. But no. It definitely wasn’t morning. They just lied down, it would be way too fast for it to be.

 

“A body has been discovered!” they heard and sat up in a blink of an eye.

 

“What the hell!?” Kagakure yelled, panicking. 

 

“We need to go! Fast!” Otome shouted, getting up and running up to the door. 

 

“Hey-! Dress up at least!” Kagakure yelled, putting on his trousers. The two were about to go to sleep, so before the announcement, they were dressed in only shirt and underwear.

 

Otome quickly and messily put on his pants and ran out of the room, Kagakure following closely behind.

 

They ran very fast. Faster than they thought was possible. The adrenaline in their veins made them run faster and faster through the courtyard.

 

“Where are we going!?” Kagakure yelled catching up to Otome, the two almost at the school entrance.

 

“I don’t know!” Otome answered truthfully, entering the school.

 

“What do you mean you don’t know!?”

 

“That I don’t!” suddenly, he stopped, causing Kagakure to run into him, making them both fall down.

 

“What the fuck!?” he heard Kagakure yelling, but it didn’t bother him. He realized something way more important.

 

“I know where to go.”

 

“Where?”

 

“To the casino. It’s the only place we haven’t searched today.”

 

“But we don’t know when did the murder happen. It could be a few minutes ago, you know….”

 

“I knew we should go there! I told you!” he shouted, completely ignoring Kagakure “Let’s go! Fast fast fast!”

 

He helped Kagakure stand up and ran.

 

When they got there, they were met with Karasu, Hataka and Otori standing at the stairs leading to the casino. Karasu was pale and Otori looked as if she was about to puke. Even Konan seemed slightly distressed. 

 

“What happened?” Otome asked, making them all look at him.

 

“Shiki’s gone bye bye~!” Karasu cheered.

 

“What? Keshousun?” he said, surprised, covering his mouth with his hand.

 

“What is- Is this smell…?” Kagakure questioned, taking a step up. He already knew what it was, he just needed to confirm, to see, to check. 

 

Otori sobbed loudly, “I-It’s Keshousun-san…”

 

“Oh, God…” Otome muttered and sighed heavily, “I don’t want to go there.” he said and Kagakure grabbed his hand.

 

“You have to.” and yeah, it was true. They needed to investigate to win in the Class Trial.  _ He _ needed to investigate. 

 

He forced a smile and took a step up.

 

The investigation was about to begin.

  
  



	43. Chapter 43

“Now that Shiki is dead, I guess examining the body is only your job~ Congratulations~,” Karasu said with a grin. 

 

Konan shrugged and entered the casino.

 

“Hey! Don’t ignore me~!” gambler pouted and crossed her arms.

 

“Oh, God… Keshousun-san…” Otori said, shaking a little.

 

“Aaaaah, I’m out.” Karasu moaned and was about to go off, but she was met with Akurami running up the stairs.

 

“What happened!?” the girl asked, visibly rushed. “Who’s dead!?”

 

“Keshousun-san…. Keshousun-san….” Otori repeated.

 

“K-Keshousun-chan!? How!?” 

 

“Keshousun-san… Keshousun-san…”

 

“We don’t know yet.” Karasu shrugged, “Now move.” When Akurami took a step to the left, she quickly ran off.

 

“Otori-chan..?” occultist called as she approached the girl, but was met with no reply. Otori continued to repeat Shiki’s name. “What the hell happened there…?”

 

Akurami prayed silently to Kokopelli, before going up the stairs and entering the casino.

 

“Ugh…” she groaned as she smelled a faint smell of rot. “What the hell…?” she forced herself not to cover her nose as she followed the stench. There, in one of many rooms, were standing Otome and Kagakure, both looking as if they were about to puke or collapse. Next to them was Konan, crouching on the floor, visibly unfazed by the smell. She was doing something with Shiki’s corpse, which looked almost perfectly normal, even though Akurami knew it was the source of the smell. 

 

“Akurami, good you’re here!” Otome called and motioned her to come closer, still covering his mouth and nose with one hand, “You have your Monopod with you, don’t you? We left ours in my room.”

 

Occultist nodded and took her Monopod out of her dress pocket. 

 

**The victim is Keshousun Shiki, the Ultimate Tanato Cosmetologist. The cause of death is a hit to the head with a blunt object. The time of death is ???.**

 

“I need to- I need to go out,” Otome said and exited the area in a rush.

 

“I don’t like it here, either…” Akurami added, nausea starting to overwhelm her. “What about you?” she asked Kagakure, who didn’t even flinch, even though he looked bad as well.

 

“I need to investigate,” he responded

 

“Open all the windows. I’ll move the body somewhere else so you can investigate without disturbing me.” Konan interjected, got up from the floor and started dragging the body to the exit.

 

“Won’t it somehow damage the body?” Hanzo asked, appearing suddenly in a doorframe.

 

“I looked for any kinds of wounds already so if it does, I’ll know it’s from moving it,” Konan explained and started dragging the body again.

 

“I’ll help you out.” Nazomu grabbed the body and started carrying it towards the exit, “Where to?”

 

“Outside,” she said and followed the boy. And with that, the two were gone. 

 

Akurami and Kagakure started opening the windows, one by one on the whole floor.

 

“Better already…” Akurami muttered, breathing in the fresh air from the outside through the window.

 

“Agree,” Kagakure added, doing the same. “Now we can investigate without fainting or puking.”

 

“Thank Kokopelli for Hataka-chan…”

 

“Okay, guys. End of the break.” Otome said, having entered the room during their conversation. “We need to get to work.”

 

“Are you feeling better? Kagakure asked 

 

“Yeah, just needed to sit down for a second. Nothing to worry about.”

 

“Good.”

 

“Yeah, I’m glad and stuff, but…” Akurami scratched her neck, “What do we do now? How do we catch the culprit?”

 

“I have no fucking clue.” Otome sighed. “We don’t have to be Hataka to know that the murder happened some time ago. We don’t know when, so we can’t check everyone’s alibi…” 

 

“So what can we do? We won’t catch the culprit if we do nothing.” Kagakure crossed his arms.

 

“For now, we do have absolutely nothing.”

 

“Anko!” Akurami shouted suddenly, making them all turn and see Hanatsuki entering the room. The girl subtly covered her mouth, timidly approaching them.

 

“S-should I-I… uh… check t-trashcans again…?” she asked, looking pale.

 

“That’d be great. Maybe we’ll find the murder weapon like that.” Otome said.

 

“Hey, isn’t it weird that we always find the weapon in a trashcan?” Akurami wondered, 

 

“Now that you mention it… we found it there three times in a row.”

 

“Maybe it will be fourth.” 

 

“Let’s hope for this.”

 

“S-So…” Anko stuttered and bowed before getting to work.

 

“What about us? What can we do?” Kagakure asked.

 

“We need to find out what happened. But I have no clue how.” Otome replied, “Let’s search through this place for now.”

 

“It’s a good start.” he shrugged.

 

“I’ll check the entire right side. Left is yours.” Tamari said and went off.

 

“I’ll start from that end of a corridor.” Kagakure pointed at one end of the corridor.

 

“Then I’ll start from that.” Akurami agreed, pointing at the other end. And with that, they began their search.

 

Otome checked every inch of the rooms. Behind machines, under them, next to them… But he found nothing. Defeated, he came back to the room in which they found Shiki and started examining it. Every inch. Every speck of dust. 

 

When he started looking behind one of the machines, he caught something unexpected.

 

A piece of cloth.

 

Grey piece of cloth.

 

His mind started going crazy. Was this a piece of culprit’s clothes? Was this a piece of Shiki’s clothes? Maybe the Mastermind’s?

 

No, definitely the culprit’s. Or maybe..?

 

He hid it in his pocket and resumed his search. He’d worry about it later. During the Class Trial, to be precise.

 

“Hey, bro, do you have anything?” he heard Kagakure’s voice and nervously straightened up.

 

“I’m not sure,” he said, not really lying, nor really saying the truth. Somehow, he had this feeling that wouldn’t let him reveal what he found. The uncertainty, distrust… 

 

But why not tell Kagakure? They were friends, and he absolutely trusted the boy. So why was he feeling like this? Why was he unable to admit he found something?

 

“Uh… I see.” 

 

“What about you?” he asked, his heart beating faster and faster with each passing second.

 

Kagakure shrugged, “Nothing.”

 

“And Akurami? Where is she?”

 

“She’s still searching. She’s really determined.” he scratched his neck, “But I don’t think she’ll find anything.”

 

“I see…” Otome said, his heartbeat ringing in his ears. He felt somewhat… disappointed. It’s not that he had faith in their search, but knowing they found nothing except for a piece of cloth… somehow let him down. Even though he had possibly the most crucial clue in his pocket. The disappointment was still there. 

 

Fear, too. What would everyone say if they found out he had something like that and didn’t share it? Would they be angry? Sad?  _ Disappointed _ ?

 

He didn’t know. And he feared to find out.

 

“Wanna talk to Hataka?” Kagakure’s voice brought him back to reality. There was no time for his dilemmas. He needed to find the culprit. And he was about to do this.

 

“Sure. Lead the way.”

 

They walked in silence, both occupied by their thoughts. Otome was thinking about the culprit. He wondered why Shiki was the one to die, what their motive was… and most importantly - who they were?

 

Was it Nazomu? Maybe Akurami? Or Hataka?

 

He didn’t know, he truly and utterly didn’t know.

 

And before he thought of anything useful, they reached their destination. Hataka was sitting on the ground, looking at the body in thought. Nazomu was sitting next to her, visibly bored.

 

“Hataka?” Otome called and the girl looked up at him, “Did you… find anything?”

 

The girl shrugged, “Not much. I can only tell she died a few days ago. I don’t know how much exactly.”

 

“A few days…” he muttered, astonished. “Anything else?”

 

Konan shrugged again, “She doesn’t have any visible injuries.”

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

Before he could say anything, the monitors turned on.

 

**“Time’s up, kiddos! Please proceed to the Judgement Hall to begin the Class Trial!”**

 

They were doomed.

  
  



	44. Class Trial 4

When Otome reached the Shrine of Judgement, everyone besides Karasu was already there. Anko sent him a hopeful look, probably thinking he’d figure out who the culprit is, like always. But he had no clue. He wished the Class Trial would somehow help him solve the mystery. It was their only hope, after all.

 

“Only Karasu-chan isn’t here yet… I wonder why...” Akurami said, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“What about we start the Class Trial without her?” Otori proposed, touching the corner of her mouth with her finger.

 

“Without her? But Monokuma said that if you aren’t present at the Class Trial you get executed!” Rikomu yelled, her eyes widened in surprise. How could Otori even suggest something like that…?

 

“And as you can see, she’s not present.” the girl shrugged lightly, almost not visible. “Monokuma! Let’s start this already!”

 

“B-But…” Anko stuttered, trying to come up with anything to stop Karasu from being killed. They were all in this together, after all. They needed to stay well and alive.

 

But nothing happened. Monokuma didn’t appear, as they waited nervously for him to pop up and get Karasu punished.

 

“Yahoo~! Missed me much?” they heard and it was as if the nervous atmosphere vanished suddenly. Yuki hopped her way to the waterfall, humming a cheerful song.

 

“Where the hell have you been?” Akurami shouted, approaching her. “You were about to get executed!”

 

“Whoooa~ I’m so lucky~” she laughed and the waterfall stopped flowing, revealing the passageway to the elevator. They got in.

 

As they ride down, Otome noticed how big the elevator really was. Maybe because so much of them died, maybe it always was this way - he didn’t know. But the empty space overwhelmed him.

 

He counted eight crossed photos at the Trial Ground.

 

Eight. Exactly half of them died.

 

He gulped, hit by the fear. He still couldn’t comprehend what was happening. The Killing Game was real. It was really real and he knew it. And yet, he was unable to accept that.

 

But seeing eight empty platforms… hit him. The Killing Game was real. He could die, too. Everyone could. Even Kagakure. Even he himself.

 

Trying to calm his heartbeat, he stepped onto his platform. Everyone did the same.

 

[Class Trial: Insession]

 

“Now then~! Let’s begin with a basic explanation of the Class Trial! During the trial, you’ll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for ‘whodunnit’. Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person… I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy! Also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone! Now, let’s get this crazy, awesome, crazy-awesome trial underway!”

 

Otome didn’t even listen to Monokuma’s words - he knew them perfectly. He focused on his heartbeat to calm himself. It worked. Somehow.

 

“We know nothing.” he said, “But we’ll catch the culprit either way!”

 

“And how do you plan to do this?” Konan raised her eyebrow, full of doubt.

 

“I don’t know yet. For now, we have to talk about what we know. It’ll help, I’m sure of it.”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“We know Keshousun-chan died a few days ago. But we don’t know how much exactly.” Akurami stated

 

“When was the last time someone saw her?” Otome asked, looking at each of them one by one.

 

“She disappeared after flashlight-watching session, right?” Karasu said after a moment of silence.

 

“Yeah, I haven’t seen her ever since.” Akurami agreed.

 

“M-Me neither…” Anko added.

 

“So, someone killed her immediately after remembering the Gofer Project? That’s ridiculous.” Nazomu rebutted.

 

“But everything is pointing to that,” Otome said, his hand touching his mouth as he thought.

 

“What ‘everything’? All we have is Yuki’s word on that.”

 

“Hey! I’m perfectly reliable! And so is my word!” Yuki shoved Hanzo playfully.

 

“But Akurami and Hanatsuki agreed with this word. And I myself haven’t seen Keshousun since then, too. Have you?” Otome rebutted, completely ignoring Karasu.

 

“Okay, let’s say someone killed her right after using the Flashback Light. What does that tell us?”

 

“Uh…”

 

“Exactly. Nothing.”

 

“I don’t agree with that,” Konan said, placing her hands on the platform’s fence. “The culprit hid Keshousun’s body. That means they didn’t want us to find her.”

 

“And if they didn’t want us to find her…” Akurami trailed off, “No, I don’t get it. What does that mean?”

 

“That they didn’t want the Class Trial.”

 

“Who’d want it, really? Tamari-kun always solves the case, so the Class Trial is a death sentence to the culprit. It’s logical they didn’t want it” she shrugged.

 

“So it seems we have nothing, after all,” Otome muttered.

 

“Do we?” Kagakure asked, looking Otome straight in the eyes, “Do we really have nothing? Nothing at all?”

 

Tamari gulped, the piece of cloth burning him through his pocket. It was as if Kagakure knew what he found. But how?

 

“What do you mean?” Hanzo questioned, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

“Nothing. Just making sure.”

 

Otome sighed with relief. So Kagakure didn’t see him hiding the cloth, after all. He looked around at everybody, focusing on their clothes. If someone had something similar to the piece of cloth he found… They’d be the culprit.

 

“Uh… Anko? Maybe you have found something in trashcans?” Akurami asked.

 

The girl shook her head, “N-nothing.”

 

“Uh… Then we really have nothing…”

 

“Maybe let’s focus on the things we know?” Karasu proposed suddenly, “We know she died after the flashlight-watching session. We know the culprit didn’t want the Class Trial. What can we conclude from it? C’mon, morons~”

 

“We need everyone’s alibi for the time after our meeting!” Akurami yelled, excited.

 

“I-I… I don’t remember…” Anko stuttered, blushing furiously, “I-I’m so sorry!”

 

“That’s fine. It was long ago. I remember, though. We were both in your Lab. I was reading a book and you were doing something with the plants.”

 

“I-Is that so…”

 

“What about the rest of you?”

 

“I was in my newly open Lab,” Kagakure said, “Tamari was with me.”

 

“Huh?” Otome yelped, looking up to see Kagakure’s soft smile. That was a lie, but… he didn’t have a good alibi, so the boy’s words kinda saved his ass.

 

“Is that true, Tamari-kun?” Akurami asked.

 

“Yes,” he lied.

 

“Okay. What about you three?” she looked at Konan, Yuki and Hanzo.

 

“I was in the casino, killing Shiki,” Karasu said with a serious expression.

 

“Okay, whatever.” she rolled her eyes. “Hataka-chan? Nazomu-kun?”

 

“I was in my room, reading a book,” Konan answered with a shrug.

 

“I was investigating,” Nazomu said sharply.

 

“And Otori-chan?” Akurami smiled at the cellist.

 

“I was practising the cello, as always.”

 

“So basically everyone has an alibi.”

 

“No, only four of us do. And by that, I mean Hanatsuki, Akurami, Tamari and myself.” Kagakure rebutted.

 

“You have a point. Only we weren’t alone.” Akurami agreed.

 

“S-Someone must be l-lying…” Anko added, frightened.

 

“But who…?”

 

Otome already knew.

  



	45. Class Trial 4

“Geez, why won’t you just admit it already?” Akurami shouted, looking at everyone one by one, “Which one of you did this?”

 

No one said anything.

 

“So, the idea with alibis haven’t cleared anything. Let’s proceed.” Otori said finally, after what felt like an eternity.

 

“Proceed to what? We don’t have anything else!”

 

“Let’s talk about the culprit.” Karasu deadpanned, her expression thoughtful.

 

“We’re doing it since we started this Class Trial!”

 

“Is that so~” she cheered, “Well, I meant that we should talk about how they didn’t want the Class Trial. It’s rather an important fact.”

 

“What is there to talk about? They were afraid Tamari-kun would catch them. End of the story.”

 

“But they wouldn’t win this Killing Game without winning the Class Trial,” Nazomu said.

 

“So they didn’t kill to win.” Konan continued, “Their motive was something else.”

 

“Something else..?” Anko muttered.

 

“What else could it be!? We’re in a Killing Game!” Akurami yelled.

 

“M-Maybe Keshousun-san d-did something that angered the c-culprit?”

 

“Most certainly,” Konan agreed.

 

“All we have to do is figure out what~ Easy peasy~” Karasu cheered.

 

“Easy peasy you say…” Akurami scratched her chin, “I can’t imagine Keshousun-chan angering anyone, though.”

 

“M-me neither…” Anko agreed.

 

“Yeah, she was always nice and polite!” Otori cheered, “What kind of person would kill someone like that…?”

 

“Who would kill in the first place?” Akurami asked no one in particular.

 

“U-um… T-Tamari-kun?” Anko called, “W-why are you so quiet? W-we need your d-deductions…”

 

But Otome only hung his head low.

 

“Hey, that’s right. You haven’t said anything for a while now.” Nazomu agreed.

 

But Otome said nothing.

 

“Well? Tamari?” Konan nudged, losing her temper.

 

But she was met with no reply.

 

“Did something happen?” Akurami wondered.

 

“We’d notice, right?” Nazomu rebutted

 

“Right… Then why is he acting so weird?”

 

“Don’t talk as if he’s not present,” Kagakure interjected.

 

“He’s acting as if he doesn’t want to be present.”

 

“Who’d want to?”

 

“I know. Sorry, but we really need him. We’re not getting anywhere without his help.”

 

Kagakure nodded with a smile, “Bro?”

 

Otome only gripped his platform harder. Kagakure shrugged with an apologetic look as if saying ‘I tried’.

 

“So now besides who the culprit is we have to figure out what happened to Tamari-kun…?” Akurami wondered.

 

“Okay! Let’s talk this through!” Otori cheered.

 

“At the beginning of the Class Trial, everything was fine. So something had to happen somewhere during the Class Trial.” Nazomu said.

 

“B-But when? And w-what?” Anko asked.

 

“We need to figure out the exact moment Tamari-kun went quiet,” Akurami added.

 

“Exact moment you say…” Otori muttered.

 

“He talked about alibis, so it had to be  after that…” Konan said.

 

“I have an idea~!” Karasu shouted all of a sudden, “I know I know I know!”

 

“What?” Nazomu asked, irritated.

 

“Anko said that someone must be lying after we talked about alibis. And then - Otome stops saying anything! Isn’t it weird?”

 

“Are you suggesting that he is the culprit?”

 

“Maybe. Or maybe he knows who the culprit is and is trying to protect them?”

 

“That would mean…” Akurami trailed off

 

“That would mean that it’s Kagakure.” Konan finished her sentence.

 

Everyone turned to face Hoshii. The boy only shrugged with an apologetic smile and looked at Otome.

 

Otome, on the other hand, was looking down, shaking a little. From the two he was the one who looked more like a culprit.

 

“That would make sense.” Otori said, “If Tamari-kun killed Keshousun-chan by an accident… it would make perfect sense that he wouldn’t want the Class Trial. He didn’t mean to kill!”

 

“I agree,” Nazomu added

 

“Who the heck hits someone with a blunt object by an accident~?” Karasu laughed.

 

“You… have a point.” Akurami agreed, “It’s super weird…”

 

“So it couldn’t be by an accident…?” Otori tilted her head in confusion, “But Tamari-kun would never kill in a cold blood!”

 

“Maybe it’s Kagakure then.” Konan shrugged.

 

“I can’t imagine Kagakure-kun killing anyone, too…”

 

“Then who do you think did this!?”

 

“I don’t know! I don’t know…”

 

“I-It’s… It’s me.” Otome interjected

 

“What!?”

 

“I’m the culprit. I killed Keshousun-san.”

 

“But… how? Why?”

 

“I hit her in the head, that’s rather obvious. As to why I did this...” he looked at his hands as if he was bored, “She said something that angered me. So I killed her.”

 

“I can’t believe this! I won’t believe this!”

 

“C-calm down…” Anko put her hand on Akurami’s shoulder.

 

“How can I calm down when he’s saying things like that!?”

 

“Okay, I’ve had enough.” Konan said, “You’re not the culprit. And I know that. If you were the culprit, you wouldn’t become so quiet all of a sudden. You’d either be silent from the beginning or not at all. You figured out that Kagakure is the culprit somewhere along the line and tried to protect him. But if we vote for you, we’ll all die. You included. So get your shit together and tell us what you know.”

 

“I-I…” Otome looked at them all one by one, then at Kagakure, and again at his hands, “You’re right, Hataka. Hoshii is the culprit.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“H-He lied about his alibi. We weren’t together then. That night, I went to sleep and he went to his Lab alone. At first, I thought he said that to protect me, but… now I know he did that to protect himself. Plus… I found this.” he showed everyone the piece of cloth, “It was at the crime scene. I’m positive it belongs to the culprit. And you see… It matches Hoshii’s shirt. There you go, I’ve explained. Now leave me be.” he hung his head again.

 

For a moment, they didn’t say anything, hit by Otome’s words.

 

“W-who’s going to talk about the case? I-I don’t think we should bother T-Tamari-kun now...” Anko broke the silence.

 

“I don’t get it at all…” Akurami said, somewhat scared.

 

“Then I will do that,” Otori suggested and as she was met with no reply, she started talking.

 

[Closing argument: start]

 

The case started after our flashlight-watching session. The culprit was in their Lab, probably not aware of the events that were to occur. Somehow the victim of the case, Keshousun Shiki, the Ultimate Tanato Cosmetologist got to said Lab.

 

The culprit and Keshousun-san got into an argument, and in anger, the culprit hit Keshousun-san in the head with a blunt object, probably one of the tools present in their Lab. The hit caused her to die.

 

Probably panicking, the culprit took Keshousun-san to the casino and hid her behind one of the machines, not wanting the Class Trial to take place. Probably during hiding the body, they tore their shirt, leaving the only clue behind.

 

They had a ton of luck because, for a few days, nobody went to the casino.

 

That’s the truth of this case, and the culprit is Kagakure Hoshii, the Ultimate IT Specialist.

 

[Closing argument: end]

 

“So that’s what happened…” Akurami muttered

 

“Is it true, Kagakure?” Nazomu asked but the only response he got was an apologetic smile and a shrug.

 

“Seems like you’re finished!” Monokuma interjected, “Now then, it’s Voting Time! Use the screen present on your platform to cast a vote!”

 

Everyone tapped their screens, but Otome’s hand stopped in midair.

 

“I just don’t get one thing,” he said, looking at his screen. “You told me we’ll survive this Killing Game. You promised to stay with me to an end! So why!? Why!?” he sobbed.

 

But Kagakure didn’t answer.

 

“Vote already!” Monokuma shouted, “Or I’ll execute you!”

 

So he did. He cast a vote on Kagakure, sentencing him to death.

 

He kept his head low, not wanting to see the execution. But that piercing scream he heard would haunt him for a long long time.

 

There was no escape.


	46. How did it happen?

Kagakure was sure he could kill if he wanted to. But he didn’t. Why would he? They were given a place to live in, a place to belong to. He hated the Killing Game, of course, he did. But at the same time, he enjoyed it.

 

He enjoyed spending time with Otome. He enjoyed looking at Otome as he investigated. He enjoyed looking at Otome when he was catching the culprit.

 

If he looked at it this way, he really liked this Killing Game.

 

But there was that second way… that people were dying. That they were trapped. That he could die, too. That Otome could die, too.

 

He couldn’t really comprehend it. As he watched Utsuri getting executed, fear grasped his heart. And smashed it.

 

It was their first day here. And someone died. Fast. Way too fast.

 

It was Otome who helped him. Their patrol gave him a role to play, a place to belong to - Otome’s side. He didn’t spare it much thought. He just needed someone to be beside them and Otome probably needed the same. So they stuck together. And soon, they became friends. Real friends.

 

Kagakure didn’t have many friends in his life. He could count them on his one hand’s fingers. But he longed to have someone. Even before the Killing Game, he tried making friends, but in the end, nobody wanted him.

 

But then again, here in this Killing Game, everybody accepted him. Nobody bullied him, nobody turned their back to him. They were all together, they were all friends.

 

That’s what he thought when he looked at Karisuma.

 

But Karisuma died. Karisuma died to protect everyone. To protect Kagakure, too. So when Otome figured everything out, he felt his heart stop. Nobody had ever done something like that for him. For Karisuma to sacrifice himself for Kagakure… That was too nice. Too much. Too much for his fragile heart.

 

“You have to be my lvl 4 friend to unlock my tragic backstory,” he told once to Otome. But the truth is, his tragic backstory was just plain boring.

 

He was a normal child raised by his lonely mother. She liked to drink once in a while when he was little. And that habit only grew stronger as the time passed. He didn’t hold a grudge against her - her boyfriend got her pregnant and ran away, leaving her alone with a child to raise.  _ That _ was a tragic backstory.

 

In a middle school, he discovered his talent for computers. He liked to do things with them. He liked to programme, he liked to play games, but most of all he liked to build them from nothing.

 

Probably out of jealousy, his classmates started bullying him when he became the Ultimate IT Specialist. It was the most cliche bullying in the world. Classic throwing his belongings into the trashcan, smashing him in the head with a sponge for a blackboard, little things like that. At the beginning, his heart broke every time they were doing those things, but later he stopped caring. Just close your eyes and endure it, he thought to himself.

 

In the Ultimate Academy, everyone had an Ultimate Talent. So there was no need to bully. He was safe. Plus, he had Otome on his side. Truly safe, huh?

 

But then again, Fukura’s last words were ‘you’re all bunch of bullies’. Maybe they got along so well because they were the same. Bullies or not, he belonged here. So there was no need to escape or kill. They could all live in peace like Satoshi wanted to. After Fukura’s death, there was nobody left who could kill.

 

Of course, he could kill if he wanted to. But he didn’t. Why would he? He was safe here.

 

‘Kagakure Hoshii killed his own mother’ Tobiko’s motive said. And no matter if he liked it or not, that's the truth.

 

It was at the beginning of high school. She got drunk and accidentally broke the computer he was working on. So he smashed her head into the wall until she stopped moving at all.

 

She deserved it.

 

But Otome hated killing with all his might, so he could never reveal a secret like that to him. Unfortunately, the boy was there when he discovered the motive. He somehow convinced Otome that the motive was a lie, but after that, he hid Tobiko’s Monopod in his room, so nobody else would find it.

 

Oh, how naive he was.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was just after their flashlight-watching session after the third Class Trial. Otome went to sleep and he went to his Lab to work on the giant computer present there. He planned to completely disassemble it and check exactly how it was done.

 

He worked silently and slowly, examining thoroughly every part, one by one. He was just about to unscrew another part with a wrench when he heard footsteps behind him. He was too focused on his work to notice they were too light and quiet to be Otome’s.

 

“Can’t sleep?” he asked, sure he was talking to his bro.

 

“Have you discovered anything?” the voice he heard was certainly woman’s. He turned around to see Shiki standing shyly in a doorframe.

 

“Not yet,” he said furrowing his brows and got back to work.

 

“I see.”

 

“Why are you here? Certainly not because you’re curious about my research.”

 

“Very well then. I shall tell you.”

 

“I’m all ears,” he said but didn’t stop working.

 

“I did something bad.”

 

“Uh huh. And you decided to tell me about that because…?”

 

“I stole everyone’s Monopods and checked the motive.”

 

Kagakure’s hand stopped in midair. “You did what?”

 

“I stole every-”

 

“I heard that! Why in the hell did you do that!?”

 

“I desired to know. And I do regret it. The things I discovered…”

 

“You read Kosuri’s motive.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“And you came here, why? To mock me? To shame me?”

 

“To talk.”

 

“Talk? About what?”

 

“I plan on sharing those motives with everyone. I thought you should know that.”

 

And his heart stopped. But only for a moment. It started to pound mercilessly in his ears as he began panicking.

 

If she told everyone, she’d told Otome. Otome knew, but maybe hearing every motive and confirming it to be true would cause him to believe in Kosuri’s motive as well? He couldn’t let that happen.

 

If Otome knew, if he really knew, would he hate Kagakure? Would he ever talk to him at all?

 

No no no no no, that couldn’t happen. Never.

 

“Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked, his voice trembling.

 

“Yes,” Shiki said.

 

Kagakure looked at the wrench in his hand and made a decision.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was two days after he hid Shiki’s body in the casino. Nobody besides Karasu ever goes there and he hadn’t seen Karasu for a while now. So, no one would find it. So the Class Trial wouldn’t happen. So Otome wouldn’t figure everything out. Everything would be fine. For now, nobody found the body, so there’s a chance nobody would find her ever.

 

Maybe they could live like that for years. That would be nice, huh. He even faked being attacked to distract Tamari to achieve this goal.

 

But Otome had other plans. He was very adamant about finding the Mastermind, believing it was them who attacked him. So he dragged Kagakure from place to place, searching for hidden passageways, secret rooms et cetera.

 

“I don’t want to think about what I’d do without you,” Otome said that way and Kagakure’s heart made a backflip.

 

He had never fallen in love before. But when he fell, he fell hard.

 

“Please, don’t leave me,” he said to Otome later that day and the boy actually reassured him, probably not knowing what depth those words hid.

 

He was afraid. He wanted to be near Otome. He wanted to be near Otome forever. But that body lying in the casino prevented that from happening. He really messed things up, huh? But it was way too late to regret. All he could do was to play along, hoping nobody would enter the casino.

 

But that wasn’t to happen.

 

“Can I sleep in your room? I’m scared,” he said, not really lying nor saying the truth.

 

“Of course,” Otome answered and for a moment he let himself have a bit of hope.

 

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

 

He heard monitors turning on and already knew what happened. Someone discovered Shiki's corpse. He was doomed. His future with Otome was doomed. Everything was doomed.

 

And it was him who was at fault.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was Karasu and Hataka who discovered a body. He had a feeling it would end that way but decided to risk. And here it goes, stabbing him from behind.

 

Hataka took the body somewhere and he, Otome and Akurami were left to investigate. They quickly allocated tasks between themselves and got to work.

 

Kagakure was about to search his sector, but couldn’t move. He just stood there, in a room where he hid Shiki, not even breathing.

 

He left no clue behind. He was sure of it. But that would mean Otome wouldn’t be able to figure out he was the culprit. That could cause everyone to vote incorrectly. That would lead to him winning the Killing Game.

 

But he didn’t want to win. He wanted to live happily ever after with Otome. And if he won, Otome would die.

 

That’s actually funny, he thought. I killed to be with Otome and now I can’t be with Otome because I killed.

 

He laughed bitterly and tore his shirt.


	47. Chapter 47

They walked out of the Trial Ground in silence. Karasu led the way, along with Konan and Nazomu, Akurami, Anko and Otori just behind them. Otome walked alone, slowly, his head hanging low.

He couldn’t believe it. Kagakure, his bro, his mate, his friend… was dead. And he was alone. As he exited the Trial Ground and looked up to the sky, that loneliness crushed him.

One tear, two tears, three… he couldn’t stop crying. Tears just flowed down his cheeks like the waterfall.

He sat down on the grass, his legs not being able to carry him anymore. What was the point now? Kagakure was gone. Gone forever. What was he supposed to do?

Somehow, he wished he could die, too. That sorrow, that pain, that despair… it was too much for him. Everything was just too much.

Kagakure killed Keshousun. And he was the one who solved that case. He was the one who got Kagakure executed. He basically killed him! His mate, his bro, his friend!

He regretted it. Regretted responding to Konan’s provocation. Regretted being so weak.

If only he stayed silent then… Then he’d get killed. Along with everyone. That wasn’t a better alternative after all. His decision was good. His decision was good. He protected everyone, right? Right?

He couldn’t believe it, no matter how hard he tried. He should’ve done something, anything.

But he betrayed his friend like a coward he was.

“I’m sorry…” he sobbed, covering his mouth with his hands. His tears just wouldn’t stop falling, even though he was trying. His heart hurt so much and despair he felt was overwhelming.

He didn’t know how long he was lying on the ground, but in the end, he cried himself to sleep.

When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was how cold he was. Then, he saw faces. Akurami and Hanatsuki were crouching next to him, looking at him with worry.

“Oh! You woke up!” Akurami shouted, somewhat relieved. “We were worried you died or something” she laughed, but no one laughed along.

“A-Akurami-chan…!” Anko furrowed her eyebrows and waved her hand in a scolding manner.

As he watched them in confusion, yesterday’s events hit him once more. At the memory of Kagakure’s apologetic smile, his eyes welled up with tears.

“Hey hey hey! Don’t you dare cry now!” occultist yelled in panic and patted his shoulder awkwardly.

“I’m sorry-!” he sobbed, trying to stop the tears, but to no avail.

“That’s, uh… fine. That’s fine.” she sat down next to him on the ground, “You know, we talked about it yesterday before going to sleep and we won’t leave you alone. We want to help you.”

“Help me how!? Nothing’s gonna bring him back! And nothing’s gonna erase his fault!” Otome yelled, losing his temper. But what was the point in being nice anymore? What was the point in anything for that matter?

“Of course not. But that doesn’t mean we can leave you to sulk like a sad teenage girl. Man up!”

“You’re seriously telling me to ‘man up’ after my best friend died before my eyes!? If that’s the help you’re offering, I’ll pass!”

“That’s not what I-”

“What we really mean, is not forcing you to ‘man up’, Tamari-kun.” Anko interjected, for once not stuttering “We want to support you, hoping you would man up eventually. If you need to sulk, we’ll sulk with you. But we can’t forget where we are and what are we here for. We need to defeat the Killing Game in memory of everyone that died, including Kagakure-kun. So maybe, just maybe, what you really need is not to sulk, but to fight?”

Akurami and Otome gawked. They looked at Anko, not believing what they heard. The girl just gave them this heart-melting speech without stuttering even once? She really did that? That Anko, who’s always timid and shy? That Anko who’s always too afraid to talk?

“Wow.” Akurami was the first to recover from surprise, “That’s exactly what I wanted to tell!”

Anko laughed at that, “Of course”

“Thanks, Hanatsuki, but… I don’t think I can, uh… fight. I’m not a fighter, I’m just a photographer. By the way, how can I defeat the Killing Game so alone?”

“We’re all not fighters.” Anko looked at the ground timidly, “I’m just a botanist and Rikomu-chan is just an occultist. N-neither of us can fight. But the fight I meant is, uh… not literal. It’s about not g-giving up.”

“Exactly!” Akurami shouted, half-hugging Otome, “Plus, you’re not alone. We’re not much, but we’re here with you.”

“What beautiful words!” they heard and turned around to see Otori with a blanket, “I agree with them wholeheartedly!”

“Otori-chan! What are you doing here?”

“I saw Tamari-kun sleeping here when I was heading to my Lab and wanted to give him a blanket so he won’t catch a cold.” she shrugged, “But it seems I am late.”

“Uh, thanks…” Otome murmured, looking at the ground.

“You’re welcome,” she said as she walked up to them. “Now then, I assume you haven’t eaten breakfast. We should eat together.”

“That’s a great idea!” Akurami shouted, “Let’s go!” She got up from the ground and helped Otome get up as well before they all went to the dining hall.

Once they reached their destination, Anko and Otori went to the kitchen to prepare the meal and Akurami along with Otome sat down at the table.

“You know, Anko was right then, when she gave you that speech.” Akurami said, “She’s quite something, isn’t she? At the first glance she’s timid and shy, but when it comes to her friends she’s a real fighter.”

“You’re contradicting yourself. She told me she’s not a fighter, then you told me she’s right and then you tell me she is a fighter. Make up your mind.” Otome murmured, not really paying attention.

“Oh, you know what I mean!” she shoved him playfully but used too much force. Otome, on the other hand, was not at all expecting the shove, swinging aimlessly with his chair, so when it came, he fell down to the floor.

Akurami quickly got up and crouched next to him waving her hands in panic, “Oh god! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean that!”

“Ouch…” he rubbed his hip, getting up slowly, “I know, I know, it’s alright.”

“I’m so so so sorry!” she was still panicking when he got up and sat down at the table once more.

“Geez, I said it’s alright,” he said and she sat down as well, finally calming down. “You know, when I fell down, I was so focused on it I forgot for a moment about Hoshii.”

“That’s… good?”

“I don’t know. I guess so. For that moment, there wasn’t that crushing feeling in my chest. Only when I remembered it came back.”

“Guess I’ll have to shove you more, then,” she laughed and he laughed along.

“What’s so funny?” they heard Otori’s voice and turned around to see her and Anko carrying plates with sandwiches.

“Akurami is just threatening me.” Otome joked and got up to take one of the plates.

“Y-you should watch out,” Anko said with a smile, placing the plates on the table “She c-can be very… d-dangerous.”

“Anko! Even you?” Akurami faked a gasp and took one of the sandwiches. They began their meal laughing.

“Monokuma hasn’t shown up,” Otori noticed once they finished eating, “He usually pops up out of nowhere while we’re eating to tell us he opened up new grounds and Labs.”

“Now that you mention it…” Akurami agreed, “You’re right.”

“I w-wonder why…” Anko added.

“Does that mean there are no grounds to investigate? And no new Flashback Lights?” Otome wondered out loud.

“We should check it out!” Akurami shouted, somehow excited.

“I’ll put that blanket in my room and then join you,” Otori said before taking the blanket from the kitchen and going off.

“Let’s go!” Rikomu yelled, throwing her hand into the air and led the way.

They got to the fifth floor - Kagakure’s Research Lab - and poked around searching for a hidden staircase. They checked every inch of the room but found nothing.

“So it really means there are no more grounds to investigate,” Otome said, touching the giant computer. Kagakure was really adamant about knowing how it worked. Unfortunately, he died before getting anywhere near the answer. This whole room just screamed ‘KAGAKURE HOSHII’, causing Otome’s heart to throb painfully.

“We can’t lose hope! There must be a new Flashback Light somewhere!” Akurami shouted, rummaging through many sci-fi things on the table. She was doing it forcefully, not caring if something broke or not. Otome narrowed his eyes and was about to scold her, but he heard footsteps. Otori ran into the room.

“Guys! Quickly! You need to go to the basement! New grounds are open there!” she yelled and started running again, this time out of the room and down the stairs.

“What the hell were you doing in the basement?” Otome murmured, but nobody heard him, as they followed Otori. He followed her as well.

Down there, indeed was a new staircase (or maybe it was there before but hidden) leading to the second floor under the surface. Led by Otori, they walked down.

There, Karasu, Hataka and Nazomu were standing in front of a white and black door with Monokuma’s face on it.  The whole floor was just a corridor with this door at the end.

“Oh, there he is, our sleeping beauty~ Hope the grass was comfortable enough for you~” Karasu teased once she noticed their presence. Only then Otome realized she was holding a Flashback Light.

“Give it to me,” he said, holding out one hand.

The girl smiled wickedly and Otome thought she wouldn’t obey, maybe even destroy the flashlight, but she held it out for him. “We’re done here, either way.” she said, “For now,” she added so quiet he wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.

Then, Karasu, Hataka and Nazomu exited the ground, leaving him, Akurami, Anko and Otori. He looked at them and when they all nodded, he turned the flashlight on.


	48. Chapter 48

The Gofer Project. A plan to save humanity. Humanity’s last hope.

Sixteen Ultimates were chosen to save humanity from extinction. Sixteen Ultimates were chosen to go to space. Sixteen Ultimates were chosen to live in a spaceship.

But the mission got hijacked. The Remnants of Despair somehow hid among those sixteen Ultimates and forced them to participate in a Killing Game.

That person, one of the Remnants of Despair, is the Mastermind.

 

* * *

  
  


“Is this… about us?” Otome asked

“P-probably…” Anko nodded, “B-But that would m-mean… that the M-Mastermind is one of u-us.”

“Yeah, but that would also mean we’re in a spaceship.” Akurami added, “Isn’t that awesome!? We’re in space!”

“I wouldn’t be so excited. You see, if we’re in space, we have nowhere to run.” Otome said, not really comprehending what the Flashback Light told them.

“That’s-! That’s exactly right…” Akurami sat on the floor, her legs giving up, “We’re doomed…”

“That’s not exactly right… We can still defeat the Killing Game and live peacefully…” Otori interjected, holding her hands in silent prayer.

“But to do that, we need to find the Mastermind.” Otome said, “Who do you think it is?”

“I’d say it’s Nazomu-kun - he’s super suspicious,” Akurami stated, looking determined.

“I’d say it’s Karasu-chan.” Otori chose, when Otome looked at her, “She’s enjoying this Killing Game, right? And she always messes things up. She’s the perfect Mastermind material.”

“I agree,” Otome nodded, “I saw once Monokuma patching Karasu’s hand up. It seemed as if they were cooperating. I’d say she’s the Mastermind.”

“But w-wouldn’t that be too obvious?” Anko wondered, “She’s the p-perfect Mastermind material, b-but that’s what makes her less likely to b-be one, don’t y-you agree?”

“Then who do you think it is?”

“Hataka-chan,” she smiled slightly, “She’s v-very clever, and is close w-with both Nazomu-kun and Karasu-chan, p-probably wanting to hide in their shadows. She’s the M-Mastermind material.”

“Whoa-! Hataka?” Otori gasped, “Now that you mention it, she doesn’t talk much, as if she wants to be unnoticed.”

“But she examins bodies, right? She helps us solve cases.” Otome rebutted, “Unlike Karasu.”

“Aaah, it’s confusing!” Akurami shouted, holding her head in her hands, “Everything’s too messed up! We’re in space, the Mastermind is one of us, and now we can’t even determine who it is!”

“C-calm down-!” Anko placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“How in the hell can I calm down!? We’re trapped!”

“B-but-!”

“No, Hanatsuki-chan,” Otori interjected, “Akurami-chan has every right to feel despair now. We all do.”

“B-but we can’t j-just sit around s-sulking-! S-someone could die!”

“Then what do you suggest we do? Search for the Mastermind? Even if we find them, what would you do next? Kill them? Let them be? And if we kill them, what next? We have everything here. Food, drinks, clean uniforms, warm beds. Have you ever wondered where does it come from? Who gives us food? Drinks? Uniforms? Maybe we’re all better living here along with the Mastermind? Along with the Killing Game?”

“You’re saying we should accept the Killing Game…?” Akurami murmured, her eyes wide.

Otome looked at Otori, certain she would back off, abashed, but then she said “Yes. Yes, I do.” surprising him. Surprising everyone.

“Oh?” Akurami gasped, surely as surprised as Otome. But then, her expression darkened, “Maybe  _ you’re _ the Mastermind, Otori-chan? Huh? Maybe you’re the one controlling Monokuma? Maybe you’re responsible for all those deaths that occurred!? Huh? Huh!? You’re saying we should accept the Killing Game… It’s as if you’re afraid! So maybe the one we wanna catch is you!”

Otori took a step back, holding her hands to her chest. Her eyes were open wide, her entire expression hurt. “Akurami-chan…” she murmured and Otome could see tears welling up in her eyes. She took another step back, then turned around and ran.

“Now you did it.” Otome said quietly, not really meaning for Akurami to hear it. But she did. She shut her eyes tight and punched a wall.

“God-!” she sobbed, “I didn’t mean that! I really…! I really didn’t mean that!”

“Y-you should a-apologise to her,” Anko said coldly. “I-it was awful.”

“I know! I know, but…! She probably doesn’t want to see me right now! Maybe ever! God, why did I say it!?”

Otome cleared his throat, “I think you should let her be for now. Talk to her later, when you both calm down.”

Akurami nodded, and he sighed looking at that white and black door. “Should we check it out?” he asked.

Anko walked up to the door and turned the handle. The door didn’t even budge. “It’s locked.”

Otome sighed again, “Should’ve known…”

He felt something touching his shoulder and turned to see Akurami smiling at him. The smile was sad and crooked a little, but it gave him a bit of courage. He smiled back at her, his smile probably as unconvincing as her own.

 

* * *

  
  


The three of them spent their day sulking. They tried reading books, playing in the casino and eating, but in the end, nobody was happy. They knew before that they were trapped, but that they were in space? Who could have guessed? It only caused them to feel even more trapped than before. It was like Otome said - they had nowhere to run. So they sat in the dining hall, playing with their food instead of eating it.

“I think I’m going to throw up…” Akurami said, covering her mouth with her hand.

Anko nodded slightly, “I-I’m not really h-hungry either.”

Otome didn’t say anything, just moved his plate further away from him.

“I’m gonna use the toilet,” occultist announced and got up to exit the room. She walked slowly, her head hanging low, but when she passed the window in the corridor, she looked through it at the sky. It was late evening, probably, and the sun was almost at dusk. She wondered how is it possible for them to see the sky and the sun if they were in a spaceship but quickly forgot about the question as she saw Otori sitting at the ground, looking at the sky as well.

She exited the school and walked up to the girl.

“Hey,” she started, sitting down on the grass, “I wanted to apologise for earlier… I don’t know what’s gotten into me, I didn’t mean that at all… I was just confused because of the memories from the flashlight and just said those words. I’m so sorry, I know you’re not the Mastermind, we talked about it, but then-”

“It’s okay. I’m not angry.” Otori interjected, “I guess you didn’t like the idea of letting the Killing Game be.”

“Of course not! So many of us died because of it! How can I just let it be?”

“Of course…” Otori sighed heavily, “You’re right. It’s just… I can’t help but think ‘what if…’. What if the Mastermind is the one who gives us the food and everything? What if it ends once we kill them? Are we able to kill them at all? There are so many questions, and I just keep wondering. Those thoughts just won’t let me be. I even wondered if it’s possible for us to be the bad guys and the Mastermind to be the good guy. I’m so confused…”

“I… don’t get it. I don’t get it at all. It’s obvious the Mastermind is the bad guy - they forced us to kill each other!”

“Yeah… but do we know why? Do we know what is the purpose of this Killing Game?”

“To satisfy the Remnant of Despair, obviously. They’re sick in the head and want to watch our despair.”

“But is that really so? I just keep wondering why, and I can’t think of anything.”

“So I’m telling you. Either it’s Nazomu, Karasu or Hataka, they just want to see us suffer.”

“Are we really sure it’s one of them?”

“Of course. What are other options? Anko-chan? Please, she’s too afraid of everything. Otome-kun? He solved every case so far, I don’t think the Mastermind would do this. And you? You’re mature and gentle, and the Mastermind is childish and aggressive. None of us can be the Mastermind. It  _ must _ be one of them.”

“And you? What is your explanation?”

“Are you really suspecting me? Please, I’m too stupid to host the Killing Game.”

“So it really is one of them, huh? I wonder if they’re suspecting each other…”

“Certainly. They’re not dumb.”

“Yeah... Tell me, Akurami-chan, if you were certain you know who the Mastermind is, would you kill them?”

“I don’t know. I’d want to, but I don’t think I’d be able to.”

“I see.”

“So, once more, I’m sorry for what I’ve told.”

“That’s fine.”

“I think I’m gonna go get some sleep.” Otori nodded at that and Akurami got up to walk away.

“Hey,” she heard and stopped, “If you had to do something really really bad for your friend, would you do that?”

“Well,” she scratched her neck, “I think I would. I really cherish my friends.”

“But you said you wouldn’t kill the Mastermind.”

“Yeah… Well… I don’t know. Would you?”

“Yeah. I would.”

Akurami nodded, though Otori was looking at the sky so she wasn’t able to see that, and walked away. 

As she lied in bed, her heart was pounding in her chest. She was afraid but didn’t know of what exactly. She shut her eyes tightly and soon drifted off to sleep.

She awoke to the sound of an explosion.


	49. Chapter 49

Otome quickly got out of bed and ran out of his dorm room. On his way out, he saw Akurami and Anko running out of their rooms as well.

“What was that!?” he yelled to them

“Something exploded!” Akurami yelled back

“But what!? Where!? Why!?”

“I-I guess o-outside.” Anko murmured,

“You mean, the school?”

“W-what else c-could it be?”

“Only one way to figure it out.” Akurami shrugged and led the way to the school. It still stood there, as if the explosion didn’t happen at all. Otome looked at Akurami and Anko confused.

“Weird…” Akurami muttered making her way to the entrance.

“Wait up!” Otome shouted and hurried after her, Anko following him. The inside of the school looked normal, too and the three of them just wandered around searching for anything unusual. When they got to the staircase, they heard a voice. It was Nazomu’s, but the words he said were just a gibberish. They made their way downstairs.

There, everything was destroyed, rubble everywhere, dust still in midair, as if it was too early for it to settle down. And in the middle of it, there was Nazomu, trying to make his way through the rubble.

Otome was about to call out to him, when-

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

**“A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the Class Trial will begin!”**

“No…” they all muttered in unison. Otome quickly took out his Monopod and opened the Monokuma File.

**The victim is ???. The cause of death is ???. The time of death is ???.**

“What the hell?” Akurami murmured, annoyed, “It doesn’t tell us anything.”

“Who’s missing?” Otome asked and looked around,

“O-Otori-chan,” Anko said,

“Karasu-chan and Hataka-chan, too,” Akurami added,

“Could you stop talking and help me with this?” Nazomu interjected, still fighting with the rubble.

Otome was about to go help him when Monokuma appeared just before his eyes.

“Upupu~” it laughed, “I can’t let you do that. It’s dangerous, the whole building could fall apart. As your headmaster, I need you to evacuate.” But nobody moved, too shocked, too confused... “Now!” it yelled and they all exited the school.

“Nazomu…” Otome started, walking just next to the boy, “I need to know what happened there.”

“They’re still inside.” he hissed,

“Who?”

“Yuki and Konan, they’re both inside.

“Do you think they’re, um… still alive?”

“Who knows? The body discovery announcement played. Maybe they’re both dead, maybe one of them is alive. No matter what, we need to get inside as well.”

“But it’s like Monokuma said, it’s dangerous.”

“So you’d prefer to let them die?”

“They’re probably dead either way,” he said and almost instantly regretted that. There was a chance that at least one of them is alive, so they should do everything to try and save them. But he couldn’t bring himself to do this. He was too afraid.

“Douchebag,” Nazomu said coldly and looked up at the sky.

“What’s up?” Akurami walked up to them, Anko trailing just behind her.

“Karasu and Hataka are inside,” Otome answered

“Whoa-! And Otori-chan?”

“Nazomu?” he called, but the boy ignored him, “Nazomu?” he called again, this time patting the boy’s shoulder.

“What?” he hissed,

“Was Otori with you?”

“No,” he shrugged, “At least I haven’t seen her.”

“What were you doing there, either way?”

“Girls wanted to check that locked room, so I picked a lock. Then I was supposed to keep watch so nobody would interfere. And suddenly, there was an explosion and rubble was everywhere. I was lucky I stood quite far away from there, or else I might have been a body to discover.”

“But what happened in that room? Why it exploded!?” Akurami interjected

“How would I know? I was outside.” Nazomu shrugged

“Then what do we do? How do we solve this case?”

“You said you could pick a lock, right?” Otome asked Nazomu, “Maybe we should start with examining their rooms. We may find some kind of notes or clues in general.”

Nazomu was silent for a moment before nodding slightly, “I can do that,” he muttered. They made their way back to the dorm - specifically Karasu’s room, which was the closest one to the entrance.

“I’m not sure what you’ll find in there,” Nazomu said, still working on picking the lock, “But whatever it is, don’t jump to the conclusions.”

“I’ll try,” Otome assured, uneasy feeling raising in his chest. Just what was he about to find out?

Finally, Nazomu finished his lockpicking and opened the door for Otome to come in. Akurami and Anko stood in the door frame, not sure if they should come as well.

The room was messy. It was identical to Otome’s, the only difference being the state of it. There were paper sheets all around it, even on the bed. Otome picked a random one from the floor.

“Neo World Program,” it said, written in a hurry - the letters were crooked and a hand writing them clearly unsteady. Otome gulped, trying to comprehend the meaning behind those words. Neo World Program, like Kagakure told him, allowed to wipe memories clean, or overwrite them. But how did Karasu know about it? Did Kagakure tell her? Did she overhear their conversation?

He shook his head and took another sheet from the floor. “Danganronpa,” it said. All the sheets were filled by this kind of sentences, all written in a hurry. Otome didn’t understand most of them but kept looking. Soon, he found something that he understood perfectly.

Under the bed, there were two files from Karisuma’s Lab. Otome quickly got them and started reading.

The first one was Nazomu’s. It contained the info they all already knew - that he was the Ultimate Criminal, his height, his weight, things like that. The second file was Karasu’s. It was almost identical to the one Rika showed him back during investigating Karisuma’s death. It contained her height, her weight, which, as he remembered, were identical to those in the previous file. But in this one, the class actually matched the one in their files. There was also Karasu’s Ultimate Talent, which caused Otome to gawk - “the Ultimate Survivor,” it said.

Dots in his head started to connect as he recalled all his encounters with Karasu. She knew more than everybody. And that was because she participated in another Killing Game. She participated, and survived. But why would she be in this Killing Game if she survived the previous one? Did she volunteer? He looked again at the class written in the file. 44th. Did it mean there were 43 Killing Games before this one?

His mind went blank. Only one question pounded in his head, demanding to be answered. “Why?”

He sat down on the floor, his legs giving up. Almost instantly, Akurami was by his side, asking “What’s up?”

“This… This Killing Game isn’t the first one.” he forced himself to answer.

“What do you mean? How is it not the first one?”

“There were… forty-three before this one.”

“Forty-three!? What the hell!?”

“And Karasu…”

“Yes. She participated in the previous one.” Nazomu finished for him.

“You knew?”

Nazomu nodded in the response.

“Why didn’t you tell anything?”

“Why would I?”

“Because it’s crucial information!”

“Now you know it. What are you gonna do with it? How are you gonna use it to ‘defeat the Killing Game’? There were forty-three games like that before, and hundreds of participants. None of them ended this shit. It continues and will continue forever. But nobody wants to accept that, everybody just talks how they’re gonna find the Mastermind, and how it ends? With another body discovery!”

“Are you saying that Karasu and Hataka… wanted to find the Mastermind?”

Nazomu shrugged, “That was the plan.”

“Oh, God…” Akurami whispered. Otome remembered their conversation about who the Mastermind is, and how most of them thought it was either Karasu or Hataka and he felt guilty.

He was about to apologise, do  _ something _ when monitors turned on.

**_Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~_ **

**“Time’s up, kiddos! Please proceed to the Shrine of Judgement to start the Class Trial!”**


End file.
